The Final Forgiveness
by ChristinaFay
Summary: Hermione was cursed back in time and was saved by a young potions master. After knowing all of his secrets, it would be most difficult not to fall in love with the troubled soul behind the mask. NOT a marauders era fic.
1. Chapter 1

_**I have been wanting to write a story about Severus Snape for quite some time now, simply because he is one of the most intriguing characters in the book. However, knowing him with such a complicated personality, it was most intimidating (just like Snape himself) for me to even fathom the idea of writing about him. But still I have to try... I only hope all the Snape fans out there would forgive me if I stumble along the way...**_

_**_**All characters belong to the brilliant JKR**_.**_

_**_**I only claim the responsibility of my far-fetched imagination...**_**_

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><p><strong>The Final Forgiveness<strong>

_"There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love."_

_Bryant H. McGill  
><em>

**Chapter 1**

**Hermione Granger**

When Hermione finally pulled herself out of the pensieve, the world around her felt completely up-side-down. Snape! Severus Snape! The spy, the traitor, the cold, manipulating, and horrid professor that they had hated for so long, was actually their ally, risking his own life for them for all this time! Yet they did nothing when he was attacked, right in front of them. They watched him die! Tears ran down Hermione's cheeks as she stood alone in the Headmaster's office, Snape's office...

It was only half an hour ago when Hermione began frantically looking for Harry around the Great Hall. After searching up and down the hall for several times she finally realized that he must have gone to find Dumbledore's pensieve. The Weasleys were devastated by the loss of Fred. Hermione simply did not have the heart to pull Ron away from his family. At the same time however, Hermione had a terrible feeling about what Harry would do next. What was Snape trying to tell him? Take it... his memories... to the pensieve? What did that mean? Was that his last minute remorse?

She felt fortunate that the fallen gargoyle didn't even complain as she ran through the steps into the headmaster's office. The office was eerily quiet. The sight of the vacant portraits on the walls sent a shivering chill down her spine. Harry had already left. Where did he go? Looking at the silvery substance in the pensieve, Hermione knew the answer was inside.

And that was how Severus Snape's life replayed itself in front of her, his deepest secrets revealed to her: his love, his mistakes, his bravery, his sacrifice. She wished he could tell them sooner, share with them his burdens, and let them help him. With a heavy heart, Hermione stepped out of the headmaster's office, Snape's office... And suddenly a thought hit her... Harry! He was going to turn himself in to Voldemort! He was going to sacrifice himself!

Hermione ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She didn't see Ron on her way out, and didn't waste time looking for him. She must catch up with Harry. There had to be another way. She would not let her best friend die!

Just as Hermione reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest, a familiar screeching laughter filled her ears. She immediately realized it was a lack of tactic to venture into the forest alone.

Bellatrix Lestrange, wearing the same wicked sneer, was right in front of her. "Well well well... look who's here! Potter's filthy little sidekick, the pathetic mudblood that stole my wand! Tell me! Where is Potter!" She bellowed.

Hermione answered with only jinx and hexes. But Bellatrix nimbly blocked them all and quickly turned from defensing to attacking.

"How dare you! Trying to fight me! I should have finished you off weeks ago, if not because Greyback was begging for a taste of your dirty blood!" Bellatrix screamed in glee as she advanced on Hermione.

The green and red flashes shooting out from Bellatrix's wand were overpowering. Hermione soon found it impossible to block them all.

"Crucio!" Bellatrix bellowed. And a familiar screaming pain shot through every fiber of Hermione's body. She fell hard on the ground but held tight onto her wand.

"Tell me where Potter is and I may grant you a comfortable quick death!" Bellatrix strode next to Hermione and shouted.

"No!" Hermione hissed through her teeth, "Never! I would rather die!"

"Crucio!" Bellatrix yelled again, "you have this one last chance you filthy thief!"

"No!" Hermione screamed in agony, "Just kill me!"

"Oh no..." Bellatrix began laughing hysterically, "you missed your chance you disgusting mudblood! It's not going to be so easy now!"

A purple light flew out of Bellatrix's wand. Instinctively Hermione raised her wand and tried to cast a protective shield. The curse pierced through the weak protection and hit Hermione right in her chest. Hermione felt the every single bone inside her body threatening to brake as her ears filled with Bellatrix's maniacal laughter.

The world caved in around her and Hermione began to fall. She didn't know which was worse, the crushing pain inside or the spinning world around her. Finally, everything went black as she crashed into something hard.

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><p>Hermione woke up with an unbearable wave of pain. She was very much sure her body was broken. It took her quite a bit of effort to open her heavy eyelids, and found herself lying face down in a patch of grass. She could see her left arm was bending awkwardly next to her. But she felt a small relief when she sensed her wand holding tight in her right hand. The pain was screaming inside of her. But Hermione smiled weakly. The pain could only mean one thing, that she was still alive, at least for now.<p>

Harry... she could only think of Harry. She must tell someone to go after him, and help him!

Hermione pushed herself up but almost immediately fell when she tried to stand up. The movement however gave herself a chance to look up. Not far from where she was, standing by the lake, was someone she thought she would never see again.

He was dressed in his usual complete black, with a long black cloak billowing in the mild summer wind. His tall and thin figure was unmistakable. No one else could ever look so controlled and mysterious. He spotted her as she moved and began to walk towards her.

Snape! Professor Snape! Hermione suddenly felt a surge of hope at the sight of him. He was alive! Yes! And he was on their side! He would help her! He would help Harry!

With the greatest difficulty she got up on her feet and tried to run. She stumbled again and again but kept on trying to run towards him. The short distance between them became painfully far as she kept falling. To her relief she saw him beginning to run towards her.

"Professor Snape! Professor!" She cried out as she moved closer to him, "thank goodness you are alive!"

As she finally managed to get close enough, she tried to straighten up. Her knees buckled but she was swiftly caught by his strong arms.

"Professor! Please help Harry! He went into the forest to turn himself in to Voldemort! Don't let him die! Please help him! Don't let Harry die!"

It was the last thing she could say before darkness overtook her again. With tears blurring her eyes, she didn't even notice, that the man who caught her from falling, was much younger than she had ever seen him.

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><p><strong>Severus<strong> **Snape**

Severus Snape had only recently developed the habit of taking walks by the lake in early mornings. The enchanted forest seemed to be able to offer a little bit more peace than he could find inside the castle.

The castle had been emptied a week ago. All of the students and most of the teachers had left for their summer holidays. But there was still no peace for Snape. The memories, the memories of Lily, the memories of the days they spent at Hogwarts together, as students, the memories of their arguments, the memories of her death, all because of his own doing, haunted him every moment when his mind was not focusing on a specific task.

Life had long lost its meanings for him. The only reason he was still around was because of his promise to Dumbledore: he would protect the boy, Lily's son. That would be the least he could do, yet it would never bring him peace. She would never forgive him. Her son would never forgive him. He would never forgive himself.

Teaching at Hogwarts for the past couple of years had become such a routine. It was a job that occupied his mind, providing him with limited amount of distraction from his own self destruction. That mentality didn't help preventing him from becoming the bitter and angry potions master that everyone, including most of the students from his own house, feared and loathed. Yet Severus Snape did not care. He was not there for others to like. He did not want to be liked. He didn't mind being hated. It was a torture he had chosen for himself, to constantly remind him of his own mistake, the terrible mistake that cost the life of the only person he had ever loved.

His wandering mind was interrupted on this particular summer day, when he noticed something stirring in the grassy area not far from him. At first he thought it was a forest creature coming to the lake for water. But he quickly realized it was a person, a young woman, a young woman that seemed to be wounded! As he began to walk towards her, he heard her calling him "Professor Snape". Yet he couldn't recognize her as one of his students. He remembered all of the students, an occupational hazard being a spy. But this one he could not recall. And upon hearing her say "thank goodness you are alive", he briefly questioned her mental stability. Yet he couldn't help but walking a bit faster towards her, as she was having such trouble standing up.

When she finally got close to him, her words confused him. What did she mean by Harry giving himself to Voldemort? Snape became very alarmed. He was further frightened when she kept saying "please help him" and "don't let Harry die". It was almost as if Lily was talking and pleading in front of him. He had a dreadful feeling that something had gone terribly wrong. Holding the young woman's limp body tight in his arms, Snape began to run towards the castle. He would need Dumbledore's counsel immediately.

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><p><strong><em>What do you think? Should I go on? Yes? No? Maybe so? Appreciate your reviews!<br>_**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Thank you all for your encouragement! Sending my love to you all! But now I am quite nervous... The pressure's on! I only hope that I won't disappoint you...  
><strong>_

_**_**All characters belong to the brilliant JKR**_.**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

When Severus Snape returned to the hospital wing with the headmaster, Madame Pomfrey was putting a cast on Hermione's broken ankle. Lying peacefully in bed, the unconscious witch looked even paler after Madame Pomfrey cleaned the blood and dirt off of her.

The matron looked greatly concerned when she saw the headmaster.

"These are some most serious injuries I've seen in years." She reported, "Three broken ribs, one punctured lung, a broken arm, a broken ankle, and internal bleeding that I can only control temporarily. I am counting on your potions to save her, Professor Snape." She took a deep breath and continued, "This is definitely some dark magic. Whoever did this to her did not want her to live!"

She paused for a second and frowned, "and come and look at this."

The two wizards followed her to the other side of the bed and watched her gingerly roll up the young woman's sleeve. A terrible scar came into view: mudblood.

Snape immediately had to take a step back. He felt as if the word gave him a sharp punch in the stomach. The word... the word that he should have never said, never said to Lily...

"Albus, should we take her to St. Mungo's?" Madame Pomfrey's question prevented Snape from dwelling further into his terrible guilt.

"If it is dark magic, exposing her to the public at St. Mungo's would not help matters." Dumbledore stroke his long beard thoughtfully as he spoke. "And by the way Poppy, why on earth are you in your traveling cloak?"

The matron looked slightly embarrassed when the headmaster pointed out her unusual attire. "Well, I was on my way out to meet my sister. We had planned on taking a trip to France for the summer." She sighed, "but I think now I will just make a trip to the Owlery and tell her to go on by herself."

"Oh that would not be necessary." Dumbledore smiled at the nurse. "We have Severus right here. He was going to make the potions anyway. Why don't you let him take care of our unexpected guest, and go on to enjoy your summer in France? Now that I thought of it, it would probably be easier if we move her to the vacant quarter next to Severus' in the castle. Easier to keep an eye on our patient, don't you think?" The headmaster nodded at Snape with a wink.

Snape's jaw dropped upon hearing the absurd suggestion. He would be lying out right if he said that he had other plans for the summer. Yet brooding over his own misery at a location chosen by himself still sounded like freedom, even if the selected location ended up to be Hogwarts. The headmaster seemed to have other plans for him however. And he didn't seem to care if such plans were not included in the job description for the potions master.

"Could you stay and look after her?" Madame Pomfrey looked up at Snape hopefully, "I will help you gather all the supplies you need and help her settle in before I leave."

Snape did not bother to answer, but nodded curtly.

"Thank you so much!" Madame Pomfrey smiled broadly, "I'll go get the supplies and some daily essentials for the girl."

Watching the matron disappear in her office, Snape lowered his voice and asked the headmaster, "what about the boy?"

"You heard Arabella Figg yourself Severus. Other than not being able to join his aunt, uncle and cousin to the amusement park, the three-year-old is safe and sound under her watch. Figg will let me know if anything is wrong."

"But this girl just told me..."

"We will find the answers when she wakes." Dumbledore gestured towards the young woman.

As if aroused by their conversation, Hermione's eyelids fluttered open and her gaze rested on the Headmaster.

"Professor Dumbledore?" She asked in amazement. "I see... I must be dead now." She said quietly.

"What makes you think so my child?" Dumbledore slowly approached the bed and asked kindly.

"I don't feel any pain any more. And I... I'm with you!" She smiled weakly.

"Most people do not associate pain with being alive." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.

"That depends on how you define pain." Snape thought to himself.

"I believe your temporary comfort was brought to you by our capable Madame Pomfrey." The Headmaster went on, "and why, pray tell, would I make you think of death?"

Hermione looked at the Headmaster, quite confused. "Aren't you..."

"quite alive as Severus here?" the Headmaster completed her sentence for her.

Hermione looked over the Headmaster's shoulders and there he was, tall and lean in his long black cloak, stood the potions master. He had the same serious expression that she remembered all so well. Yet it was a very youthful face that was framed by his shoulder-length black hair. And his piercing dark eyes were... dared she say... striking.

Hermione gasped as her eyes widened. She stared at Severus Snape as if he was a ghost standing before her. He cautiously looked back at her, contemplating having a possible penetration into her mind.

"So my dear, since it is obvious that you already know both Severus and myself, could you let us know your name, just to be fair?" Dumbledore chuckled a little bit as if laughing at his own question, "Miss..."

"Granger... Hermione Granger." She whispered and looked away from the two wizards. A moment had past before she looked back at Dumbledore, brows creased, "what date is today Professor?"

"If I'm not mistaken," the Headmaster answered, "it is the second of June in 1983. Is that the date you were looking for, Miss Granger?"

Hermione shook her head as tears fell on her pillow. "I need to go back Professor... I need to go back before it's too late."

"Too late for what?" Severus Snape snapped.

Right before Hermione could answer however, Dumbledore raised his hand and stopped her.

"You are from the future Miss Granger. And I can see that you did not choose to be here. There can be terrible consequences when one meddles with time. Therefore I must ask you, and Severus as well, not to do anything that may alter the future."

The kindness briefly disappeared from Dumbledore's voice and he sounded firm and authoritative.

"The castle is almost empty for the time being, which will help covering your presence. If you do see anyone you will meet in the future however, I must ask that you disguise yourself. Am I clear?"

Hermione hesitated briefly, but nodded in agreement.

"As for me..." the headmaster thought for a moment and went on, "I will work on a counter jinx and try to find you a way back. Knowing myself, I will have to ask you to reveal nothing about the future to me. I prefer experiencing the journey without knowing its destination." A hint of mischief returned to the Headmaster's tone.

"She is in no condition to carry on a conversation right now!" Madame Pomfrey hurried to Hermione's side and made the serious announcement.

"You are quite right Poppy!" the headmaster inclined slightly towards Hermione and said, "Miss Granger, I will leave you with capable hands."

"Professor!" Hermione called out just as Dumbledore was about to leave the room. "I missed my last year at Hogwarts because... uh... because of some distractions. Do you mind if I visit the library?"

"Most certainly not Miss Granger! Feel free with the books. And Severus here will also be happy to help you if you have any questions with your study." Dumbledore answered cheerfully.

"Private tutoring is definitely outside of my job description." Snape growled inwardly.

Hermione looked over at the young potions master. For the first time since she arrived here she smiled. "Thank you. I would really appreciate that."

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><p>When the afternoon came Hermione found herself resting comfortably in a small room in the area that she was told as the teachers' living quarters. The potion that Madame Pomfrey made her drink before she left for France began to work its wonder. She slowly drifted into a dreamless sleep.<p>

She woke up with the view of the pale sky outside the window. She was feeling night and day comparing to the morning before. When she slowly turned away from the window, she saw Professor Snape sitting by the desk opposite the bed, reading a stack of parchments spread out in front of him.

"You seem a lot better today Miss Granger." He began without looking at her. "I have brewed you a potion that you will need to take three times a day. I will also arrange for the house elves to bring you something to eat."

He came to the side of her bed, reached over and helped her sit up, before handing her a goblet of bluish potion.

Hermione winced when the bitter liquid touched her lips.

"Butter Beer tastes good but it won't save your life." Snape snarled, "Drink up and rest. You need to recover quickly because I have questions for you."

"Thank you Professor." Hermione held her breath and finished the nasty-tasting potion. "But I'm not sure if I can answer your questions. Remember what the Headmaster said? We are not supposed to change the future."

Snape narrowed his eyes upon Hermione for a long moment. Hermione looked away quickly. She remembered what Harry told her about his occlumency lessons with Snape, and had no idea what she would do if he were to use legilimency on her.

She had to admit the younger version of Professor Snape still had the same intimidating air about him. However, either because of his young age (he was merely a few years older than her at the moment), or perhaps her understanding of his life allowed her a much different understanding of his personality, she was perfectly calm under his piercing gaze.

"I don't like secrets." He hissed.

"And I don't like keeping them." She answered. "But I don't have a choice, do I?"

Hermione could almost hear his teeth grinding as he took the empty goblet from her. He marched wordlessly to the door, before turning to her and said, "I will check on you later."

"Thank you Professor, for everything." She smiled at him.

He was half way out of the door before he turned back again, "You are not my student Miss Granger."

"No, not yet I guess." She answered.

"Then don't call me Professor." He wasn't sure why he said that.

She looked at him in amusement. "Alright, Severus, only if you call me Hermione."

He closed the door behind him, without a word.

The sun began to rise above the distant forest. It was going to be a beautiful day.

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><p><em><strong>Phew... a bit tense isn't it. What do you think? So Dumbledore has set the rules... no changing the future will happen here, or will it? I do have a few familiar characters that I plan on featuring in the future chapters (one may be a bit unexpected). What do you think so far? I welcome your comments.<strong>_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Thank you all for following the story. That means a lot to me...**_

_**Auelle, Gringotts713, worrywart, Danica Blake, Indiana Smith, Rokimbo, notwritten, teddy240b, JarODirt, Mel, Shorty 653, Lost-puppyEYEs, Julie Haill, thanks for your encouragement! **_

_**toriashley, DarkStarSmiling, and SexyMagic, yes I'm on the same page with you. Time travel can be quite fun even outside of the Marauders' era.**_

_**and finally, Snape's Witch, thanks for keeping me on my toes! ;)**_

_**As you might have already noticed, I'm not a native speaker, and I'm sure I'm making loads of grammatical errors. Please PM me if you spot anything glaringly wrong. Thanks!**_

_**_**_**All characters belong to the brilliant JKR**_.**_**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

If Snape listened to the protest of his body he would have gone straight to bed (he had spent most of the night watching the unexpected responsibility of his for fear that her injuries would take the wrong turn). However his mind was in a desperate need for some morning air and complete solitude. The sudden appearance of the young witch stirred his mind like a wild swan making mad ripples in a very calm lake.

Something about her was getting under his skin.

He watched the shadows in the water cast by the trees surrounding the lake and let his mind wander. He had always been a believer of keeping emotions completely under control. He was, after all, a master of his own secrets. Yet, it seemed as if he had finally met his match.

Mysteries oozed from the very existence of her. Her injuries, her scar, her time traveling ordeal, everything about her was screaming with a story. But she would not tell. She hid it perfectly well behind a simple smile. Her smile, the smile that drove Snape insane.

It was not because she was pretty. No. Snape's judgment could never be clouded by shallow appearance. It was the genuineness about it that bemused him. She smiled at him as if she meant more than gratitude. It was not the courteous gesture that he received from his colleagues, or some pathetic attempts by his students trying to earn themselves a little extra credit. She smiled at him as if she knew him, knew him more than she should for simply being a student of his. It was what she knew about him that bothered him. What did she know?

A large grey owl interrupted Snape's contemplation. He was quite annoyed by the morning delivery. His presence was requested by the staff at St. Mungo's. It was indeed a nuisance to be one of the most capable potioneer in the county when practically everyone else left for the holiday break. With a low grunt, Snape peeled himself away from the peaceful scenery.

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><p>Hermione was woken up by a house elf just a little past mid-day. A tray of delicious assortment of treats was presented to her with a glass of pumpkin juice. Right next to her bed, she noticed a goblet of the same potion that she drank in the morning, with a small note leaning against the goblet,<p>

_"You were still asleep and I had to leave for a meeting. Drink this with lunch."_

There was no signature at the end of the note. But Hermione smiled. There was only one person that would have left her with this.

He had been more than generous taking his time to care for her. Madame Pomfrey had told her how involved it would have to be for him to make the potion that was saving her life. And even though he didn't mention it, she was quite sure that he stayed in her room all night keeping watch. Yet he would allow no emotional connections with her. He never returned her smile, never said "you're welcome" when she thanked him, and never initiated a conversation, other than telling her not to call him professor.

If this was happening two days prior, Hermione would have thought the potions master simply hated her. But that would have to be two days ago. She knew now. She understood. He had been living behind the walls of a prison that he had built for himself, with guilt and self-hatred. He would not open himself to anyone so easily.

She wasn't sure how long it would take for Dumbledore to find a way for her to return to her time. It saddened her to think that Snape would no longer be alive when she could return to her world. If she was not allowed to alter the future, could she at least make a little difference for him in the present?

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><p>Severus Snape was not in a good mood when he returned from his meeting in the evening. He strode through the door of his private quarter with a splitting headache. His summer break will soon be consumed by making all those special potions requested by the healers. And then he remembered his own patient, the one that was staying right next door to him.<p>

He groaned inwardly and went to check on her. He almost forgot to knock when he came to her door, but realized the necessity of some basic manners at the last second.

His knock was immediately answered. "Please come in." she said.

He could barely recognize the place when he entered the room. There were books everywhere: on her night stand, on the floor next to her bed, and also on top of a small dresser nearby. The room was practically the aftermath of a minor tornado running through a small library.

"Sorry... I can't walk so I summoned a few books from the library." She smiled at him apologetically.

"What a mess!" He exclaimed impatiently. With a wave of his wand, the books on the floor neatly shoved themselves into three piles. "What are you doing!"

"A little bit of light reading." She replied pleasantly, "The house elves that were here dropping off dinner and the potions for me were trying to help I guess. They spread the books around close to the bed thinking it would be easier for me to reach them." She paused for a moment and said, "the house elves really need to talk to Dumbledore about taking summer holidays."

He raised an eyebrow but ignored what she was saying. Instead, he picked up a book on top of the night stand. The image of a giant snake was swirling on the cover.

"A fan of snakes Miss Granger?" He asked.

"Oh no, not really." She sighed, "just want to do some research on snake bites. And by the way, it's Hermione."

He pretended he didn't hear her and asked her to lie down. "I need to check on your injuries." He said.

Hermione watched in amazement when he waved his wand above her. A silvery image appeared above her and she could see every single bone in her body and all the internal organs functioning right in front of her eyes.

He seemed to be pleased with what he saw. With another wave of his wand the image disappeared. "These casts can come off now."

He tab his wand gently on the cast on Hermione's arm and ankle. With a small pop, the cast disappeared, leaving no trace of any bandages on her. His glance lingered briefly on the scar on her left arm. But she pretended not to notice, and casually rolled down her sleeve. The word that had haunted him disappeared as quickly as it caught his attention.

He looked around the books in the room, "Research...light reading... Are you a Ravenclaw?"

"That had been suggested." She smiled brightly at him, "but no, I am a Gryffindor."

"Should have guessed." He mumbled with disgust and threw a book in front of him on the bed back on to the small table.

"There is more than one Gryffindor that can be your friend, you know." She retorted without thinking.

The air froze between them. He narrowed his eyes upon her and she held her breath.

"What are you saying?" He hissed. She said nothing.

He began to pace in front her, with his long fingers stroking his chin, but his eyes never left her face. "You know things." He finally said.

She nodded.

"You know things about me." He said again.

After a little bit of hesitation, she nodded again.

"Dumbledore! Dumbledore told you." He breathed through his teeth.

"No." she replied, "He kept his word."

"How much do you know?" He anticipated her answer intently.

"More or less... the parts that matter the most."

"How did you learn..." the anger in his voice slowly faltered.

"That I cannot tell you."

He looked away hastily, as if her gaze was burning him.

After a very long moment he finally said, "you must hate me."

"No! I don't!" she immediately replied.

"Well maybe you should." he said, still not looking at her.

"I don't hate you." She continued, "if there is anything... I respect you, and I... admire... you."

"Admire? Me?" he glared at her in disbelief.

"Yes Severus. I admire you for the choice you have made, and for the things... the things you will do in the future."

The things he would do in the future... He had a hunch that she would not elaborate on what she meant by that. He looked at her for a long moment and finally said, "so you really don't hate me?"

"No... Well, except for the times when you will take points from our house unfairly." She cast him a glance with a smirk.

"I thought you are not supposed to reveal anything about the future. That may change what will actually happen." He snarled.

"Oh I doubt it... That part of the future will never be changed." She smiled at him.

He didn't reply. But she could have sworn that she saw him smile when he left her room.

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><p><em><strong>Sorry it's a bit short... But I thought I would put this out there for you for the weekend. And I promise to make it up to you in the next chapter. I plan on featuring three more familiar characters in the next chapter. Care to guess who they might be? Well for one of them I can bet good money that you would never have guessed. I do promise that he will serve a good purpose for the story and will be quite entertaining!<strong>_


	4. Chapter 4

_**_**Love your reviews... They made my heart swell. Here is how the story goes... Enjoy!**_**_

_**_**All characters belong to the brilliant JKR**_.**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

In the following few days, Hermione always woke up to a goblet of potion on her night stand, and a small note telling her when he would be back to check on her. He kept his promise and always showed up when he told her he would. She was recovering very quickly and began making frequent visits to the library. She took the opportunity of him checking on her to ask him questions from her study. Just as she remembered, he was a very effective teacher. Sometimes he would give her a straight forward answer, some other times he would asked another question to redirect her. Their exchanges were conducted with a complete lack of emotions. It was indeed a very professional relationship: the healer and his patient; the student and her professor. From the surface, there really was nothing more.

Yet Snape was quietly observing the young witch. She was unbelievably clever. Her questions were often at a level that was well beyond a seventh-year student. She picked up new knowledge so quickly that he had no doubt that she had read through the books several times before. And then there were those discussions, the discussions involving much more advanced magic. It was quite refreshing for Snape to have someone to engage in such intellectual dialogue.

The only question from her that he had been ignoring was about where he was during the day. It was not her business to know about what he was doing, he thought to himself. Why would she even ask? Did she honestly think that he would allow her to be around his research?

Even though he was convinced that she would be an absolute distraction, he couldn't help but catching himself wondering what she was doing during the day, and what she would say if she was there in the office along by his side.

His potion was proven to be very effective. She was practically cured after three days. If he was to be honest with himself he knew a daily checkup was no longer necessary. However he didn't say a word, other than telling her that she could stop the potion. He continued his daily visit to "check on her", even though he knew he had no more healing to do.

"She needs to have her questions answered." He reasoned with himself, and was quite satisfied by the rationale.

Finally his research on those special requests was done and he started his work in the lab. The work involved in making such potions would typically require a team of well-trained potioneers. Even with Snape's skillful magic, he found himself having to stay in the lab well into the evenings. Hermione noticed that too.

"What are you doing during the day?" She asked again one evening, when he finally returned from the lab to visit her. She didn't have any questions from her study for him. She only wanted answer on that one simple question.

"That is none of your concern." He said coolly as he always did.

"If there is anything I can do to help you..."

"That would not be necessary." He answered.

But she wouldn't let him drop the subject so easily. She simply stared at him. They stayed in an uncomfortable silence. She had no other questions for him, even though he secretly wished she might have some challenging topics to discuss.

"Very well, I will see you tomorrow." He turned and half-heartedly prepared to leave.

"So unbelievably stubborn." He heard her say.

He ignored her and began to leave. Right before he reached the door however, he said, without looking at her, "I am making some potions for St. Mungo's. All the ingredients need to be prepared properly in the lab."

Then he disappeared through archway, leaving Hermione shaking her head to herself. "So much pride." She murmured to herself, "as if saying he can use some help would just kill him!"

* * *

><p>Hermione had to admit that spending the whole day with books without any hands on activities did eventually become slightly boring. She really didn't mind helping out. She took a detour on her way to the lab the following morning, and gathered a small bouquet of wild flowers from the grounds. Flowers were not typically her style as they were for Luna. Yet on this particular morning, she just felt like doing something nice for him. And if his lab was the same as she had remembered, a little bit of decoration may just be the thing to help lightening up the mood.<p>

She still ended up arriving the lab earlier than Snape. Just as she expected, the color of the entire lab could be described as a greyish brown. There were only a couple of small windows in one of the walls. Shelves after shelves of potion ingredients occupied the other side of the room, leaving a narrow hallway where a few tables stood, covered with a good variety of items she assumed will need to be processed. At the far end of the room in a dark corner stood his lonely desk.

Hermione transfigured a glass bottle into a crystal vase and happily arranged the flowers inside, before setting it neatly on his desk.

"I don't need flowers in here!" His stern voice was the morning greeting she received.

"Nobody _needs_ flowers Severus." Hermione smiled at him, "But what's wrong with having something pleasant to look at?"

She was quite surprised to see that he didn't argue another word. He simply ignored the flowers when he walked by his desk, and pulled out a long list of parchment. He told her about the ingredients that need to be prepared as she took notes. The two soon set out to work at different tables, in almost complete silence.

Hermione had never watched Snape working through an entire potion making process before. When she was in his class she watched him perform only certain demonstrations. Those demonstrations had always been clear and right to the point. It was quite different from watching him at work. The way he moved his knife was quick and clean, every turn of his wrist swift and neat, and every stoke of his wand created a perfect effect on the ingredients in on the table. Watching him work was almost like observing a piece of art in the making.

Hermione quickly looked away when he looked up and met her gaze. She pretended to look around for another item on her list, desperately trying to hide her blush from him. He didn't say anything and went back to his work. Maybe he hadn't notice her watching him, she thought to herself. Little did she know, he had been observing her from the corner of his eye and had been quite pleased with her work.

Lunch was delivered to the lab for them, and they worked straight into the afternoon. Staying in the lab after five hours was a bit too much, even for Severus Snape. So he finally called for a break and suggested to get some fresh air, to which Hermione happily complied.

* * *

><p>It was a very pleasant summer afternoon, although it was somehow a bit awkward for the two of them. Hermione didn't have any questions from her study to ask Snape, and she wasn't sure what she could talk about with him without revealing anything from the future. As far as Snape, he really didn't know what to say. If she already knew all of his secrets, and was not going to tell him anything she knew, then what else was there to talk about?<p>

Just as they were each consumed by their own thoughts, a giant figure emerged from the distance of Hogwarts grounds. The half-giant gamekeeper was very easy to spot even from a distance.

"Oh no! It's Hagrid!" Hermione yelped and quickly walked behind Snape. Snape stood quietly, knowing she needed some cover to disguise herself. She would need to do so as quickly as possible, as Hagrid, together with another young lad, was making his way towards them fairly quickly. Snape could hear Hermione murmuring a serious of spells and charms, but what he saw was still quite a shock when she walk out from behind him.

Her brown bushy hair had been turned in to long silvery blond curls. Her round face was now slightly slender and was hidden partly behind her silvery locks. She also seemed to be able to add a little age to her face. Together with the clothes that she borrowed from Madame Pomfrey, she seemed like an older witch that was slightly out of place.

As Hagrid and his companion walked a bit closer, Snape heard Hermione let out an audible gasp. It was Remus Lupin that was walking by Hagrid's side, slowly approaching them.

"Professor Snape!" Hagrid greeted them pleasantly, but he wasn't sure what he should say to the witch next to him.

Snape nodded curtly towards Hagrid and turned his attention to Remus Lupin.

Remus was much younger than what Hermione had remembered. His sandy blond hair did not have a streak of grey. The lines on his face were barely visible. He looked quite shabby in a slightly worn coat but otherwise seemed healthy and pleasant. Hermione tried not to show any emotions as her chest tightened upon seeing him. The slightest change in her did not escape Snape's watch.

"Hello Severus." Remus greeted him politely.

"Lupin... What are you doing here?" Snape did not sound very friendly.

"Ah ya see, Remus was goin to visit Dumbledore but caught him in a meeting. So he came to visit me instead. Isn't that nice?" Hagrid answered cheerfully, sending glances towards Hermione curiously.

Since he did not have time to talk to Hermione about her disguise, Snape decided to let her do the talking. Just as she was about to speak however, they were all startled by a gleeful call from the distance.

"Professor, how could you say the school is empty! Look! What a wonderful audience we have here!"

As they turned towards the castle, they saw the Headmaster walking towards them, accompanied by a wizard wearing a coral color cloak, waving excitedly at them. They got a better look at the wizard as he got closer to them. He was wearing a golden coat and a bright orange neck tie. His wavy blond hair was styled perfectly, accompanying the unmistakable toothy smile that belonged to no one other than the famous Gilderoy Lockhart.

The four of them watched in amusement when Lockhart ran towards them with the brightest smile prepared for the front page of Daily Prophet. He was barely catching his breath when he said, "What a lovely crowd! You will have to introduce me Professor Dumbledore. And let's sit down and have a visit. What a wonderful day to have tea in the grounds!"

The Headmaster smiled and waved his hand. A picnic table, together with tea and treats spread out nicely on it appeared before them.

Gilderoy Lockhart reached his hand gracefully towards Hermione, flashing her with a charming smile and said, "Yes indeed, you have recognized the renowned author. Gilderoy Lockhart at your service. You are..."

"Helena Garness." Hermione answered politely, "I am a visiting scholar from Durmstrang Institute."

Snape raised an eyebrow upon hearing her introduction, wondering why she would pick Durmstrang as a cover. He quickly understood her cleverness and realized that she must indeed knew about Gilderoy Lockhart.

"What a pleasure! I have always been thinking about visiting Durmstrang, but have found the faculty there a bit... how would I put it... difficult to approach." Lockhart went on cheerfully, "I have quite a few close friends at Beauxbatons... very charming ladies... but I do not have much contact with Durmstrang. Perhaps you could help connect me with someone there?" He asked hopefully.

Hermione smile in amusement and nodded politely. She recalled what he did in her second year and started to feel sick in her stomach.

"Oh and how about you three? I don't think I caught your names?" Lockhart finally looked around him at Snape, Lupin, and Hagrid.

Lupin and Hagrid introduced themselves politely but Snape was almost growling when he spoke. He was not happy with wasting his afternoon sitting in such a meaningless "social gathering".

But Lockhart ignored the lack of warmth in Snape's tone completely. "I just brought Professor Dumbledore a complete collection of my signed books for Hogwarts' library." he went on, "It is an honor to have my books here." He nodded at Dumbledore and the Headmaster returned a polite smile.

"Miss Garness, would you like a set of my books? I can sign all of them for you very quickly."

"Oh I have already ordered them." Hermione lied.

"But they won't be signed! I will sign them for you here!" Lockhart's smile broadened, displaying his very bright white teeth.

"What a pity... but I am traveling light." Hermione replied.

"No worries! When you get home just send them to me and I will include a personal note for you." Lockhart offered pleasantly, and without missing a beat he continued on, "You would really love my latest one Miss Garness, Wander with Werewolves. A great experience dealing with such ferocious monsters."

Hermione noticed Lupin straightened up a little stiffly.

"Oh I wouldn't say that about them." Hermione picked up her tea and had a small drink from the cup casually, "I know of a werewolf who happened to be one of the most gentle and intelligent human being I have met."

"Is that right?" Lockhart sounded very surprised, "who is this werewolf?"

"I met him during my traveling... a while ago. Sorry I cannot recall his name." Hermione smiled apologetically. She was pleased to see a small smile on Remus' face. As she turned, she saw Snape watching her intently.

"Your traveling... tell us about it. It must be quite interesting visiting the world. What kind of magical creatures have you encountered?" Lockhart asked.

"Dragons." Hermione kicked herself internally for answering so fast. She really didn't know much about dragons, other than riding one when escaping from Gringotts. But she was happy they could change the subject.

"Dragons!" Lockhart exclaimed, "those nasty dangerous creatures! Did you learn how to kill them?"

Hermione noticed Hagrid shifting in his seat uncomfortably.

"Oh no, you don't want to kill them." She had another sip of tea and answered in the calmest voice she could muster.

"Why? Then what do you do with them?"

"Co-exist." She answered, "I have a friend who had a baby dragon for a pet. Quite lovely when she was not breathing fire." She smiled at the fond memory of Hagrid and his Norberta. Her smile turned into a wide grin when she saw Hagrid's face lit up in front of them.

"I shall definitely pay you a visit when you return from your traveling! I would love to hear about all of your stories." Lockhart said eagerly.

Hermione nodded politely in return, but she thought to herself, "right... so that you can steal some more stories and practice your memory charm on me."

"So Miss Garness, what brought you here to Hogwarts?" It seemed as if Lockhart had only questions for Hermione on this day.

"I came here to learn from Professor Snape. I am researching on certain potion making techniques." Hermione answered in the most professional way.

"Potion making is every entertaining! I have quite some talent in this area. Would you like me to show you how things can be done?" Lockhart offered happily. His enthusiasm was quickly getting on Snape's nerves.

"That is very generous of you, but it would not be necessary. Professor Snape is the most knowledgeable potions master I have ever known." Hermione answered, hoping she could end this conversation as soon as possible.

"Ah! That's because he hasn't met his match!" Lockhart winked at Snape and smiled, "I am confident that my techniques will truly impress you!"

"Oh my dear Mr. Lockhart, I have no doubt that your confidence has no match." Hermione said sweetly.

Lupin promptly choked on his tea as her words left her lips. Snape was biting his lips to prevent them from turning in to a grin. Dumbledore smiled politely at the group, with mischief twinkling in his eyes. The only two that didn't appear to get her sarcasm were Hagrid, who was observing the exchanges quietly with great interest, and Lockhart himself, who flashed his perfect teeth once more at Hermione,

"That's very kind of you Miss Garness!"

What a hopeless git, Hermione thought to herself. She had decided that there was no point continuing the conversation, and decided to conclude the visit on her own.

"What a pity... I think I should go check on the potion that we left in the lab. Don't you think Professor Snape?" She carefully exchanged a hopeful glance with Snape.

"Yes indeed. It is probably close to being spoiled with all the hot air surrounding it." He answered.

Everyone stood up as Hermione began to leave the table. She nodded politely at the group and said, "good day to you all, Professor Dumbledore, Professor..." she caught herself quickly and said, "Mr. Lockhart, Remus, Hagrid."

Her glance lingered briefly on Remus Lupin before she turned to walk away, with Snape following closely behind.

As they began to walk away, they heard Lockhart's cheerful voice, "So Hagrid my lad, please do tell me, have you consulted my Guide to Household Pests often in your gamekeeping chores?"

* * *

><p>Hermione and Snape walked wordlessly towards the castle, until Snape finally broke the silence.<p>

"You called him Remus." he pointed out.

"What?" Hermione was taken aback. Out of all those things she said, this was what he picked up?

"He was the only one that you called by first name. You know him?" Snape pried.

"He was a close friend." The image of Lupin's lifeless body next to Tonks brought tears to her eyes.

"Was?"

"The last time I saw him... He was lying in the Great Hall, next to his wife, dead." Hermione wiped away a stray tear and went on, "They had a little baby boy at home."

What a great way to start a conversation! Snape groaned inwardly. But he couldn't help but asking another question.

"You almost slipped and call Lockhart a professor. Will he be teaching here?"

Hermione gave him a quick look and walked a little faster ahead of him. He was a skillful spy after all, too observant with all the details. She would need to be more careful in the future.

But her silence had given away the answer.

"What can you learn from such a buffoon?" He grunted in a low voice. He noticed she had transformed back to her own self as soon as they reached the castle and was surprised that she broke into a smile upon hearing his words.

"Oh quite some important lessons that will be beneficial for life." She said cheerfully.

"What could that possibly be?" He frowned at her.

"Good looks can be a bunch of bull if there is nothing up here!" She pointed at her head and winked at him mischievously.

Snape couldn't hold back his chuckles. The way she literally insulted Lockhart in his face was a fine proof that she had indeed learned her lesson well.

"Oh I must write this down on paper!" She exclaimed.

"Write what down?" He was confused.

"The day that I made Severus Snape laugh." She beamed at him.

"I wouldn't take so much credit if I were you." He retorted, but couldn't quite hide his smile as he caught up by her side.

Later that day, Severus Snape found it quite pleasant to strike up a lighthearted conversation while working in the lab with Hermione Granger.

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><p><strong><em>Did I mention that I love your reviews? I hope the characters are on par...<em>**


	5. Chapter 5

_**_**I was going to take a break from writing the story... but your reviews kept me going...**_**_

_**_**All characters belong to the brilliant JKR**_.**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

The castle lost another one of its last few residents to the summer holiday when Dumbledore left for a short trip. He promised to continue his research on the counter jinx that he had promised Hermione as soon as he returned. To make the place even quieter, Hagrid was inspired by the visit with the witch from Durmstrang and took a trip to visit the dragon territory. Hermione had never thought that not having Hagrid around would make her feel relieved. But under the special circumstances, she was happy that she wouldn't need to constantly worry about being recognized by her half-giant friend that she would meet in the future.

As the only occupants in the castle (the house elves and the ghosts seemed to have their own business to tend to when the place was this quiet), Hermione and Severus found each others' company more enjoyable than they had ever anticipated. They always met in the lab in the morning, worked through lunch, took a walk by the lake, returned to the castle for dinner, and spent the evening at the teachers' lounge. They spent their evenings together reading and talking, and sometimes practicing spells and charms just for their own amusement.

It was also proven that the two intelligent minds work quite well together. They were making good progress with Snape's potions project. As crazy as it might sound, Snape was actually slipping in complements on Hermione's work from time to time.

"Not bad." He said one morning, watching her measuring just the precise amount of dragon blood into the cauldron.

"I learned from the best potions master you know." She said.

"Most people suspected potions is not much of his passion." Snape said sarcastically.

"Yet it gives him a perfect cover for being grumpy and grouchy." She answered.

He couldn't help but smiled. He had gotten used to their friendly jabbing throughout the day and quite frankly, was shamelessly enjoying it.

She watched him in amusement. She loved seeing him smile. Harry and Ron would probably fall out of their chairs if she told them that she found Snape's smile... how would she put it... charming!

"I'm sorry for keeping you here..." She said one day, "I know you wouldn't need to be here if it wasn't because of me."

"I wouldn't need to be here." He answered, "But that doesn't mean I wasn't going to stay. It's not like I have other exciting things to do." And after a moment he added, "I'm glad you are here."

Hermione remembered seeing his childhood in the pensieve. It was quite apparent that he didn't have a very loving family waiting for him to visit. She let out a sigh when she remembered her own parents. It had been a long time since she cast the memory charm on them and she wished she knew how they were doing.

"What do you usually do in the summer?" He found himself feeling slightly uneasy when she didn't speak for a while.

"My parents love to take trips abroad." She smiled at her own memories. She then went on to tell him about their trips to various countries in Europe, America, and Africa. Her stories were fascinating to Snape. He could almost vividly see the exotic foreign scenery as she described them.

"The one place that they always wanted to visit happens to be Australia." She stopped what she was doing and stared into the space in front of her. Her mind wandered far away into the future, into the far away land... She missed them dearly.

Snape didn't noticed that she was no longer talking. He was wondering what it would be like traveling the world someday, with someone by his side, perhaps... someone like her...

So the two of them continued their work in silence, each lost in their own thoughts...

* * *

><p>Hermione woke up one morning to a small bouquet next to her night stand. Leaning against the vase there was a note, written in the familiar handsome handwriting,<p>

_"The preparation has been completed and now we need to wait for the potions to brew. Care to join me for a walk by the lake?"_

Hermione's smile broadened when she spotted the familiar silhouette from a distance. He was waiting for her in the castle ground. When she caught up with him they set off together towards the lake.

They came upon the lake and were greeted by a serene view. The water in front of them was clear and calm. With the bright blue sky adsorbed in its reflections, the usually black lake looked like a clear piece of blue crystal. The only sound they could hear were the chirping of the birds and the sighing of the trees.

Severus Snape soon found himself lying comfortably under a large pine tree. He closed his eyes and slowly gave in to the soothing surroundings. It reminded him of a different time of his life... a different time when he was a boy... a different time when he was with... Lily.

He suddenly realized how little he had been thinking about Lily in recent weeks. In fact, he realized he hadn't been thinking about her at all. It felt as if he should be scolded for forgetting her, for not carrying the constant guilt, for feeling... happy. He was confused. He wasn't sure. Why was he happy but feeling so guilty for being happy?

Even with his eyes closed he could sense Hermione moving closer to him. He could smell the honey fragrance of her hair when she sat down next to him.

"Do you love him?" He suddenly asked.

"Love who?" She frowned and looked over at him. But his eyes were still closed.

"Potter... Do you love Potter?" It brought back a familiar pain when he asked the question. It didn't feel like that long ago that he asked a similar question, in fact, the exact question. Why did it always have to be one of the Potters!

"Harry? Of course! Of course I love him." She answered quickly.

His chest burst with pain. But he kept his eyes closed.

"I love him like a brother. Just like Ron. They are my best friends." She added.

He didn't say another word, but kept his eyes closed, deep in thought. Then he felt her delicate fingers touching his forehead, brushing his hair aside. He looked up, and met her honey brown eyes. Her gaze was warm and caring, yet an unmistakable sadness overwhelmed him.

"What is it? Are you thinking about them? Thinking about you friends?"

"No." She shook her head, "No. I was actually thinking about you, the Professor Snape that will teach us in the future."

"Am I really that bad? In the future? Am I really going to be that unreasonable?" He said playfully as he recalled her calling him grumpy and grouchy.

"You will be calling me an insufferable know-it-all."

"Probably for very good reasons." He replied.

She gave him a sad smile but soon turned quite serious, "I am so very sorry Severus." She said, "In the future, for years, no one will truly understand you. They will even hate you for all the wrong reasons. I just... I just don't think that is fair."

Fair... what does fairness have anything to do with his misery? He was quiet for a long time. When he finally spoke he said, "that's alright."

He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze, "at least I have this summer to remember, and will know that somehow eventually, people like you will understand, right?"

She nodded and smiled at him. Then she turned quickly to survey the lake, so that he wouldn't see the tears twinkling in her eyes.

* * *

><p>It wasn't until the afternoon when they decided to go back to the lab and check on the potions. As they were walking along the corridor, they heard footsteps coming from an adjacent hall.<p>

"Severus! Is that you? I've been looking for you all over this place!" They heard a voice calling.

Hermione froze, blood drained from her face. She recognized the voice! She quickly step aside behind Snape and began murmuring the series of spells and charms again. Snape was not surprised by her quick reaction, but was concerned when he felt her body trembling behind his. He reached over and held on to her left hand.

Just as she finished her transformation and stepped out of his shadow, they saw a wizard with long silvery hair walking towards them. The clinking of Lucius Malfoy's leather boots echoed in the hallway.

"Lucius." Snape's greeting was as plain as water.

"Good to see you my friend! And this must be Miss Garness! Narcissa went to a book signing party for Gilderoy Lockhart. He was raging about his visit with your guest Severus. How can you not introduce us to your friend from Durmstrang! You know how we always admire their teaching. And we would love to know what Karkaroff is up to these days. I sure hope he isn't thinking about allying himself with Dumbledore."

Malfoy paused and didn't go further with his opinion about the headmaster. Instead, he reach a hand to the blond witch next to Snape. "Pleasure to meet you Miss Garness. I am Lucius Malfoy."

It took quite a bit of effort for Hermione to fake a smile. She shivered when Malfoy planted a kiss on her hand, and held on tight to Severus with her other trembling one.

"My wife and I would love to have you two at our party this weekend." Malfoy noticed her hand in Snape's grasp and smiled wickedly. "Quite a few close friends will be joining us. And it would truly be a pleasure having your presence! Would you be able to make it?" He asked hopefully.

Hermione tried to hide her quickening breaths but it did not escape Snape's watchful eyes.

"That would be lovely." She finally managed to say, "But if you could excuse me. I am not feeling very well. It was a little too warm for me out..." She couldn't finish her sentence before turning away, and quickly disappeared in the far end of the hall.

"What is the matter with her?" Malfoy asked curiously.

"No idea... she was complaining about the weather being too warm today." Snape answered in the same cool voice and easily brushed the issue aside, even though he knew instantly, something about Malfoy was offending her, upsetting her, or even possibly, frightening her.

It felt like for ever before Malfoy finally finished his complaints about Dumbledore. "Our days will return." He assured Snape before leaving, "and I have high hopes for you Severus."

Snape stood quietly at the top of the castle steps, watching Malfoy slowly disappeared from the edge of the Hogwarts grounds. He must find out what he did to her, or rather, would do to her in the future.

* * *

><p>Seeing Lucius Malfoy reminded Hermione of everything. The past few weeks had been a pleasant dream. She soon would have to wake up from it and then she would realize it had been nothing but a happy illusion. The future of the world remained gloom. And she would have no choice but to return to her world, the world that had no Dumbledore, no Severus, nor hope.<p>

She had never felt so very cold in the middle of a warm summer day. Every sensory of her was filled with sorrow. Sitting in the corner of the sofa in her room, she trembled in despair.

When Snape finally returned to the castle he found her door locked. He knocked but she did not answer.

"Let me in Hermione. Please. I need to see you." He pleaded.

She finally opened the door and he noticed she had been crying.

They sat side by side in the sofa in complete silence. He wished she could tell him what had happened to her. From her injuries he could only guess how brutal the situation had to be where she came from. He remembered the scar on her left arm, and suspected it had something to do with the ex-Death Eater they met earlier that day. Knowing Malfoy, Snape was certain that he and his close friends would all be answering Voldemort's summon in the future.

"What did he do to you?" He finally asked.

Hermione shook her head, trying to stay calm. But the rebellious tears betrayed her.

"Did he hurt you? In your time? In the future?" He asked again.

She shook her head again and finally said, "No. Not directly."

"But he will hurt you, won't he? Or his fellow death eaters will." His voice was filled with rage, "Tell me what will happen! I cannot let them hurt you!"

She held on to his arm and shook her head again. "It doesn't matter any more, Severus. I'm fine. It's just that seeing him reminded me of..."

Tear drops ran down her cheeks and she wept in silence. He pulled her into his arms and held her tight. For the first time in months, the gate that was guarding her emotions finally crumbled and Hermione began to cry.

She had to put up such a strong face when she was with Harry and Ron. When they were on the run, she was their counselor, their adviser, and their strategist. She was not allowed to panic. She had to be tough. She had to live up to the expectations of a true Gryffindor. She never recounted to Harry or Ron what exactly happened in Malfoy Mansion when she was not with them. She tried to ignore the memory. Yet no matter how hard she tried to forget, the time she spent under the curse of Bellatrix Lestrange was still a lingering nightmare that never ceased haunting her.

She was tired of fighting. She was exhausted. But then again she had no choice. They had to fight, for the freedom that they treasured, the equality that they believed in, and the people that they loved. The people that they loved... Hermione remembered painfully... Dumbledore, Dobby, Sirius, Fred, Lupin, Tonks... and... Severus.

Hermione cried like she had never cried before, until her voice was hoarse and her tears ran dry. She would have been ashamed for showing such weakness if it was in front of anyone else. But not when she was with Severus. As strange as it felt, she didn't mind showing her vulnerable side to him. With him by her side, she felt different... she felt... loved.

"I can't go to that place. I can't go to Malfoy's place." She finally murmured the words through gritted teeth.

"We are not going." He answered right away.

"We?" she looked up at him, questioning.

"That's right. I am not going either. We can easily find an excuse. And I will stay here with you." He smiled at her.

"But he's your friend." She sighed.

"No he's not." He said plainly, with his hand gently running through her hair. "None of them are my friend. I don't have any friends Hermione."

She picked up his hand and laced her fingers through his pale long ones. "I'm your friend Severus." she whispered.

"Right." he smiled, "You are. You certainly are Hermione."

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><p><strong><em>This story is consuming me. Tell me to stop... please... Severus Snape has taken over! The story line no longer belongs to me... He had it long planned out and I am just stuck here telling you what he wanted me to say! =)<br>_**

**_**_Love your reviews and appreciate you adding it to your favorite list. However I do have to apologize if my inclusion of Lockhart misled you. It's not going to be a lighthearted story. It was, after all, set out to be categorized as "Hurt/Comfort" romance, although I do promise to make you feel good... at the end.  
><em>**_**


	6. Chapter 6

_**_**_**_**_**_**Thank you for your positive reviews... And I have to admit... my ego can be easily bruised... **_**_**_**_**_**_

_**_**_**_**All characters belong to the brilliant JKR**_. I am only borrowing their presence.  
><strong>_**_**_

_**_**So here is what happened next...**_**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

Love was a slippery slope. It would be most difficult to turn back as soon as you made the smallest step down that path.

Hermione Granger found herself slipping. And this was not what she had expected.

It all started when she wanted to get to know the person behind his cool and intimidating facade. A friendly gesture was all there was. She felt fortunate that she had the opportunity to see into the pensieve before being sent back in time. She finally could understand him. She could see through all the reasons behind his unfriendly comments. She no longer detested him. On the contrary, she found his actions intriguing, and his sarcasm entertaining.

And then there was his smile. At first she was amused by it, simply because she had rarely seen him smile in the past. Soon after that she looked for every opportunity to make him smile. And lately, she longed for the smile when he wasn't around to grant her one. She could sense that he truly cared for her. And the depth of his caring was overwhelming. There had been a terrible urge for her to open up her feelings to him, especially when he looked back at her with those deep dark eyes. Yet she also sensed his hesitation. The wall guarding his emotions did not vanish, but was only temporarily relaxed. He still turned cold from time to time, as if something she said or something they did triggered the invisible wall that only he alone could see. Perhaps, she thought bitterly, that it was all because... she was not Lily.

Severus Snape was a rational man. He knew what love felt like, and also knew what it would be like to lose it. He would never admit it, but deep down he knew he was afraid of the possible rejection from her. It was indeed a rational decision. It would be wise not to fall, again, deep into an emotion that would be so very difficult to control. So he kept his distance from the slippery slope, even though it became more and more challenging when he found himself longing for her presence every minute of the day.

So they settled with an unspoken agreement based on two completely different reasons. They treasured every moment they could find in each others' company, yet no one would make the smallest step forward to cross that invisible line. And then one day, a beautiful phoenix in the sky reminded them of the pressing reality... their time together here would eventually come to an end.

"Dumbledore is back." Hermione pointed at the colorful bird sailing through the sky above them one sunny afternoon.

"That means..." He didn't want to finish his sentence.

"I will need to get ready... to leave." She sighed.

"I have never heard of the magic that he promised you. Sending you back in time..." Severus' brows furrowed as he looked out over the lake into the forest.

"Tell me Hermione... I know you can't tell me much. But for this one, just say yes or no." He turned and looked at her searchingly, "This particular time that you are returning to... will I be there to help you?"

Hermione was horrified by the question. She had been desperately trying to forget her recurring nightmares of Severus' lifeless body lying in a pool of blood in Shrieking Shack. Couldn't find the strength to answer, she could only shake her head.

"I should have thought of that!" Severus exclaimed. "We have been wasting time!"

Hermione looked at Severus, completely perplexed.

"You are going back to a war Hermione." Severus stared back at her sternly, "It was obvious to me from the first time I saw you, that whoever cursed you wanted you to die. You must have cast a protective charm to soften the blow. But that will not be enough! Now that you are going back, don't you think you need to learn how to protect yourself better?"

He then quickly turned and began to walk back towards the castle. Gesturing Hermione to follow him he continued, "come, I will practice with you. We should have been practicing dueling all this time!"

* * *

><p>Severus wasted no time and transformed the great hall into a practicing room, with the tables lining up against the wall and a platform laying out in the center of the hall. His serious expression also returned, reminded Hermione of the professor who only meant business with his students.<p>

He walked to one end of the platform opposite Hermione and ordered, "show me what you know."

She nodded and began trying out all the jinx and hexes that she learned with the DA and also from her reading. He quickly block them all with swift movements of his wrist. When she stopped for a break he said, just like what she would expect from the very strict Professor Snape, "Not bad. But not good enough."

He went on and taught her spells and charms and hexes that she had never heard of. They then took turn practicing defending and offending.

Hermione was amazed by Severus' knowledge. The spells and jinx flying out of their wands were far more powerful than she was able to do in the past. She began to wonder how the students at Hogwarts could have benefited from Snape's teaching if he was indeed the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher all along. And then she remembered the curse that Voldemort had put on the position... that not one single teacher could last more than a year. Maybe, she realized, it was Dumbledore's plan to have Snape taking the post at the darkest time, hoping that it would help the students become better prepared... She wished they paid more attention to Snape in their sixth year, instead of looking for all the reasons to hate him.

Her wandering mind did not help defending the incoming hexes. Her shield wavered and a bright light shot through and hit her right on her shoulder. She flew backwards and landed hard on the wall, knocking down a lamp as she slid down to the floor.

"Are you alright?" Severus hurried to her side, looking at her with great concern. He knelt down next to her and helped her sit up next to him. He murmured a charm and the cut on her shoulder quickly disappeared. Then with a wave of his wand, a small jar of ointment appeared in his hand. "Essence of dittany." He offered. "you'll have to focus better..."

She took the jar from his hand but didn't hear his words. Her mind was on overdrive... How could she not think of this sooner?

"Severus," she asked, "would you help me brew a potion?"

"What is the purpose?"

"Reviving someone who had lost a lot of blood."

"Why? That is not a simple potion to make Hermione! It will require quite an assortment of ingredients and will take a week to brew. But even when it's ready, it still depends completely on the timing of the application of the potion. When it's too late, it is too late."

"No it won't be too late Severus!" Hermione refused to give up her hope, "please... will you help me?"

"Of course" was all he said as he brushed away a stray tear running down her cheek.

* * *

><p>Five days after they started making the potion a message was delivered to the lab by Fawkes. Dumbledore was ready to see Hermione.<p>

Dumbledore did not seem surprised when Severus accompanied Hermione to the headmaster's office. He smiled warmly at the two and began to explain his plan.

"Miss Granger, I apologize for the delay but I think I found the answer we were looking for. There is indeed an ancient spell that can help safely transport you back to where you came from. To make it better, I can even precisely determine the hour when you will reappear in your world."

The headmaster chuckled to himself as if finding his own plans amusing. "I have been giving it quite a bit of consideration. For your safety, I have decided to send you back two hours after when you will be sent back here."

"No! Not after!." Hermione said quickly, causing both Snape and Dumbledore to look at her curiously.

"Please send me back two hours earlier Professor." Hermione pleaded, "I must... I need to return two hours earlier."

"But you may get hurt again!" Severus protested immediately. He usually wouldn't speak up so hastily. But on this particular day he couldn't help voicing his worries.

"That doesn't matter." she gave Severus a determined look and turned her attention back to Dumbledore. "Please professor..."

"But you know the rules Miss Granger..." Dumbledore was quite concerned by her request.

"Yes I do. And I promise I will not be seen by myself." Hermione answered right away.

After a brief hesitation, the headmaster agreed, "It seems like I will trust you in the future Miss Granger. I guess I can trust you now. Your request can be arranged. When would you like to take the trip back?"

Hermione exchanged a look with Severus, they both knew it would take two more days for the potion to be ready.

"If I could have two more days here Professor..."

"Very well. I shall meet you by the lake early in the morning two days from now Miss Granger." Dumbledore smiled pleasantly and walked back to his desk, "now if you would excuse me, I will have to tend to some of these..."

"Professor," Hermione interrupted the headmaster, "excuse me, but could I please make one more request?"

"And what may that be Miss Granger?" Dumbledore gave her an forgiving smile.

"Could I please... have a few drops of Fawkes' tears?" Hermione's heart was beating in her ears as she spoke. Would the headmaster grant her this request without asking her for the reasons?

The headmaster's eyes twinkled as he looked back at Hermione, "I have made this a difficult situation myself haven't I? I told you not to reveal the future to me, yet I am requested to make a decision concerning certain future events... Very tricky indeed... I shall think about it Miss Granger. And good day to you both."

Hermione and Severus found their hands laced together as they made their way out of the headmaster's office. There was only one thought on their mind: two days was all they had... only two more days.

* * *

><p>The night before Hermione's departure she could not sleep. After tossing and turning in her bed for hours, she finally got up and left her room. She knocked on Severus' door and wondered how she should apologize for interrupting so late. Her worries turned out to be unnecessary. He quickly open his door for her, and it was clear that he was not sleeping.<p>

"I can't sleep." She whispered, standing before him in her borrowed night gown.

"Neither can I. Want to sit with me?" He offered his hand and she followed him into his room.

He was not even changed for bed, and was dressed in a plain white shirt. His soft black hair fell on his shoulders, covering part of his face and his eyes. The typical coolness in his eyes could not be found in such a late hour. He observed her gently when they settled in the sofa in his room. He wished he knew the magic to stop time, or at least to delay the rising of the sun.

They sat down together in his sofa as he pulled her into his arms. They had been in each others' arms many times since Hermione's complete emotional breakdown after her encounter with Malfoy a few weeks ago. Neither would admit the gesture meant anything more than two friends comforting each other.

She saw a bottle of firewisky on his table. "Have you been drinking?" She asked quietly.

"Thought about it. But no."

They sat together without a word for a long time. There was so much they wanted to say but being in each others' embrace in complete silence seemed to be all they needed at the moment.

"You should get some sleep." He finally said.

She shook her head and buried her face deeper into his chest. "Can I just stay a little longer?"

He didn't answer, but held her tighter, granting her the comfort that she was longing for.

* * *

><p>The early morning sun slowly pierced through the leaves and branches that were hovering the lake, and sparkled the meadow with its golden rays. Dumbledore greeted Hermione and Severus pleasantly and handed Hermione a small vial.<p>

"Fawkes made the decision Miss Granger. And he granted your request."

Hermione smiled and put the vial carefully in her pocket, joining another small bottle filled with the potion that Severus had given her the day before.

"Thank you Professor Dumbledore. And Professor... I want you to know... that I do enjoy the fairy tales."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he answered cheerfully, "I am sure I will be pleased to know what you mean someday in the future, Miss Granger."

Hermione's eyes began to well up as she turned back to face Severus. If her plans should work she would see him again. But what if... She ran to him and hugged him tight. And finally she could not hold it back any longer.

"I love you Severus." She whispered, before reaching up and kissed him on his lips.

He quietly held her tight and kissed her back, while brushing her tears away with his slender long fingers. When they finally broke apart he simply nodded, but still did not say a word.

She slowly backed away from him and watched through her tears as Dumbledore raised his wand.

"Hermione!" Severus called out suddenly,

Hermione turned and looked at him, anticipating his answer intently.

"Keep you wand out and stay focus." was all he said.

She smiled at him sadly as a large bubble surrounded her. With a bright light bursting through the bubble, she was gone.

Silence returned to the meadow as Dumbledore walked to Severus' side. "You won't see her again for many years." The headmaster said gently, "and it will be many more years before she will grow up to be the Miss Granger that just left us. Would you like me to erase part of your memory of this? It may make things easier."

"That will not be necessary." Severus replied coolly, "one more secret is not going to kill me."

He was glad that the headmaster did not press the issue further, and left him alone by the lake. She said she loved him, he thought to himself, and wondered if she still would in the future. But then again, did he deserve to be loved? He wandered around the lake like he used to do before she showed up in his life. He began to recount the first time when he saw her, and hoped that she would be safe after returning to her world. And then suddenly, he remembered the first thing she said to him,

_"Professor... thank goodness you are alive!"_

Realization hit him hard: when she returned to her world, with the memory of their summer together, he would be dead!

Severus Snape closed his eyes and set his tears free. Saying goodbye was more painful than he had anticipated.

* * *

><p><strong><em>I would love to know what you think about this story so far. My confidence has wavered slightly in the past few days.<em>**


	7. Chapter 7

_**_**Oh my dear friends, what have I done to deserve such love from you? Thank you so much for your support and encouragement! I am so glad that you like the story so far. My writing will definitely need to be improved, and I will be working on that. But I thought I would move on with the plot...  
><strong>_**_

_**_**All characters belong to the brilliant JKR**_.**_

_**The story continues...  
><strong>_

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><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

A world of color swirled around Hermione. It was as if everything that happened in more than a decade was fast forwarding right in front of her very eyes. The bubble that Dumbledore created around her provided the most needed protection. A warming sensation surrounded her, comforted her, until the spinning of the world outside finally stopped. The bubble quietly popped, bringing her back through a soft landing to the bank of the lake, to the world that she belonged to.

As soon as her feet touched the ground Hermione began to run. There was only one place that she needed to be. If her timing estimate was correct, she might... he might... they might still have a chance...

She ran as fast as she could towards the Whomping Willow. As she ran she could hear shouts and screams and cries coming from the castle. The battle was still continuing furiously at Hogwarts. Her timing was tight.

Carefully she squeezed through the passage way under the tree roots towards Shrieking Shack. She knew the slightest noise would give herself away to the three quiet observers ahead of her. As soon as she got close to the shack, she got on her hands and knees and quietly crawled behind a piece of loose board dangling from the side of the passage. Then she heard the familiar voice coming from the room above her.

"My Lord! Let me go find the boy. My Lord! You know I can find him!"

It was Severus. Hermione's heart was racing in her throat. She understood now that he had sensed the danger of the situation and was trying desperately to get the message to Harry. And then she heard the terrible scream. The snake must have sunk its teeth into Severus.

Hermione trembled violently as she heard Severus' body fell on to the floor. She covered her mouth tight with both of her hands to muffle her own cry. She could almost feel the physical pain that was running through Severus' body. She wanted to run to him, to save him. But she also knew she couldn't... not yet.

"I regret it." went Voldemort's creepy high voice before the cold-blooded murderer finally left the room.

Hermione peeked around the dangling plank and saw Harry, Ron, and her other self climbing up into the room and walking towards Severus. She could barely hear Severus' words but that really didn't matter. All she wanted was for the three to leave.

When she was finally able to rush to Severus' side she found him lying unconsciously in a pool of blood. She blinked away her tears and cradled his head in her lap. With trembling hands she carefully dripped the phoenix tear over the terrible bite wounds in his neck. The bleeding stopped immediately and the wounds slowly began to heal.

The next task was not as easy as she thought. Severus' teeth were clinching tight together from the shock caused by his blood loss. She carefully pried open his mouth and slowly began to pour the potion through his lips. She had to massage his throat gently for him to swallow the potion, drop by drop. The process was painfully slow and her eyes were quickly blurred by the stinging tears.

She could hardly breathe when she emptied the last drop of potion into his mouth. She waited for the slightest sign that the potion was working. But there was nothing. Watching Severus' lifeless body lying in her arms, Hermione remembered his words,

"_When it's too late, it is too late._"

"No! Severus! No! Stay with me! Please!" She cried. She buried her face in his chest as her heart broke into a million pieces.

* * *

><p>The last thing Severus saw were those bright green eyes looking back at him. Those eyes... Lily's eyes. He could sense Hermione's presence and struggled to look up. He wished he could see her one more time... even if she did not understand... But the snake's venom was spreading quickly through his veins as his blood gushed through the wounds in his neck. He could no longer move and the world around him slowly drifted away.<p>

The next thing he knew he found himself surrounded by a misty fog. He was standing on top of a small green hill. He could hear children playing and laughing in the distance. He instantly remembered. This was the meadow near the playground when he first met Lily, when they were both ten years old. The fog slowly began to disappear and he saw a slender figure walking towards him. He quickly recognized the young woman when he spotted her bright red hair.

"Lily!" He quickly walked towards her but had to pause for a long moment before he could find the words he wanted to say, "I am sorry Lily. I am so sorry. Forgive me." Those were the words that he had wanted to say to her all those years. Empty words, he thought to himself bitterly.

"You have redeemed yourself long ago Sev. There is really nothing left there to forgive." Lily smiled at him.

"And Harry... I'm sorry. I can't help him anymore." Severus dropped his head and said quietly to the mother of the boy.

She reached over his shoulders and hugged him gently. "You've done enough Sev. You've done all that you can. Harry will know the truth, and he will understand."

Severus nodded quietly as she released him. "Are you here to be my guide Lily?"

She smiled at him but did not answer. A moment past and she finally said, "I don't know Sev. Where are you going?"

He smiled weakly, "isn't this obvious? Or are you telling me that I don't belong to the same place as you?"

"That's not what I meant." Lily gently replied. She took his hand and walked with him to a bench under an apple tree.

"Do you know that I always loved you Sev?" Lily asked suddenly. Severus frowned and he turned to look at her surprisingly.

"You are the brother that I never had. I always loved you, even when we had our arguments. But I'm sorry that I couldn't love you the way you wanted me to." She began to explain, but suddenly stopped, as she noticed the strange emotions in his eyes. Her smile broadened and she said, "That was a long time ago wasn't it? You have moved on! You love her, don't you?"

Severus did not answer. It really didn't matter anymore now that he was a world apart from Hermione.

But Lily was not done talking, "I'm so glad to know that Sev. I've always wanted you to be happy. Why do you have to be so hard on yourself? Why can't you let yourself be happy? Why didn't you tell her that you love her?"

"I don't deserve her love." Severus answered bitterly.

"I think that is a decision for her to make. You can't stop her from loving you if she chooses to."

"But isn't that a little too late now?" Severus looked at Lily sadly.

He had given up on the love that he was longing for many years ago, although that decision didn't come without a painful price. It was one kind of suffering when he was mourning the death of Lily. Guilt consumed him every day. But with Hermione, it was a different pain that tore his heart apart. He watched her grow up year after year, turning closer and closer to the young woman that he had met in that one special summer. The only difference was that for all this time she hated him. He kept reminding himself that she would eventually know the truth and would be telling him that she loved him. Yet he never knew when it would happen. And if his suspicion was right, as it had been proven to be the case at the present time, he would never live to the day when she made the trip to the past.

"Don't give up on her." Lily squeezed his hand gently and smiled.

Before Severus could say a word, they were surrounded by the white fog again. Within seconds he felt Lily floating away from him. He wanted to call for her but she spoke first, "Let her love you Sev!"

That was the last thing he could hear before he was lost in the warm white mist.

* * *

><p>If Hermione wasn't crying so hard she might be able to notice the fluttering of Severus' eyelids. When he slowly regained his consciousness, the first thing he sensed was the sweet honey scent of her hair. He gently ran his fingers through her soft brown curls. A mischievous smile spread across his face.<p>

"Miss Granger, just what on earth are you trying to accomplish crying on top of me?"

Hermione's eyes widened. When she quickly looked up, she found him looking back at her. He looked terribly pale, but there was the unmistakable smirk in his face. He was teasing her! Couldn't find the words to retort, she hugged him tight and cried out even harder.

"Shhhh... Shhhh... Sorry... I'm sorry... Bad joke." He hugged her back and said soothingly.

"I... thought... I thought I lost you." Hermione breathed shakily through her tears. But she quickly broke into a smile and said, "I should never have doubted your potion."

He gently brushed away the tears running down her cheeks and smiled back at her, "I should never have doubted your cleverness, Hermione. I should never have doubted you!"

She reached down and covered his lips with hers. He immediately felt the magical effect of her kisses. The gentle touches of her soft warm lips on his were much more powerful than any potion in the world. Life came back to the every fiber in his body with each gentle caress of her lips. Their kisses started slow and light, like butterfly's wings brushing against the most delicate flower petals. Slowly their emotions broke through the gentle gesture and they soon found their lips clashing against each other. He ran his hands in her hair and pulled her even closer, desperately trying to convey the feelings he had been hiding so deep in his heart for so many years. Soon their tears mixed together as their smile slowly turned into laughter.

"I think this a rather pathetic situation." Severus said as they finally broke apart for air, "there is still a battle out there, isn't it? And what am I doing lying here on the floor, with you laughing and crying on top of me?"

"Harry! We need to find him!" Hermione was suddenly reminded of the reality and quickly wiped off her tears with the back of her hand. With a wave of her wand, she removed all the blood stains from Severus and herself. And then she reached over and helped Severus back on his feet. The sudden movement brought him a wave of dizziness. He wavered slightly and Hermione caught him by his arm.

"You should stay here Severus. You lost a lot of blood."

"Do you honestly think I would let you go out there by yourself? After waiting for you for all these years? Don't worry. I will be fine."

He picked up her hand and brought it to his lips. His eyes never left hers when his lips brushed against the back of her hand. "Let's go help your friends, Hermione." The gentle gaze they shared with each other channeled such complicated emotions. There was no need for a single more word.

The battle out there was still brutal and dire. But the two of them were no longer weary. They now had even more reasons to fight. They would not only be fighting for the present, but also the future, the future that held so much possibility when they finally had each other.

* * *

><p><strong><em>I always love it when you indulge me with your reviews... I have to admit that I am never good at love scenes. So hopefully I didn't flop terribly in this chapter. As far as the next chapter... You can't be expecting the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters to be so forgiving, can you?<em>**


	8. Chapter 8

_**_**All characters belong to the brilliant JKR**_. **_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

When Hermione and Severus climbed out of the tunnel under the Whomping Willow, they found the school grounds eerily quiet.

"The Death Eaters are in the forest Severus." Hermione remembered, "and Harry must have gone to look for Voldemort!"

Quietly they entered the forest. With his wand held high and eyes surveying carefully at their surroundings, Severus kept his steps ahead of Hermione. Suddenly he raised his hand and stopped her. He pulled her protectively next to his side and quietly stepped behind a large yew tree. She followed his eyes and saw a large group of Death Eaters coming their way, with Voldemort leading them, together with... Hagrid! Hermione watched in horror as she began to make out the figure that was being carried by the half-giant.

"Harry!" she yelped, but quickly found Severus' hand covering her mouth to muffle her cry. He gave her a stern look and held her even tighter next to him.

The league of dark wizards maintained their formation when they marched towards the castle. With their master claiming his latest prize, the followers of his were beside themselves with malicious satisfaction. It was very fortunate for the two of them to choose this particular yew tree as their cover. With a tree trunk as wide as three people standing side by side, and generous leaves completely blocking the morning sun, the tree practically swallowed Severus and Hermione with its shades. Even though the group was traveling terribly close to the tree, none of the Death Eaters sensed Severus and Hermione's presence.

Hermione and Severus watched quietly until the last Death Eater passed in front of them. Hermione trembled in Severus' arms while silent tears ran down her cheeks.

"There are still others. Don't give up!" Severus' voice was quiet but determined. His words gave her the much needed courage. She held on tight to his hand and together they ran towards the castle.

They hid behind a column close to the Death Eaters when Voldemort began to address the students and teachers at Hogwarts. They watched as Neville challenged Voldemort and pulled the sword of Gryffindor out of the sorting hat. At the first sign of chaos Hermione and Severus ran out from their cover and began firing jinx and hexes at the closest Death Eaters.

The group of dark wizards were caught by the incoming fire completely by surprise. Several of them fell immediately and many more disapparated with fright. This gave Hermione and Severus a moment to survey the surroundings for their next target.

Just as they were turning towards the castle, Hermione saw a familiar figure running towards them. She immediately recognized him but in the back of her mind she kept telling herself it could not be true. When the man got closer to them she could no longer deny: it was indeed Remus Lupin! Her heart was filled with joy by the sight of him. But the next thing she saw frightened her to the core. Remus was raising his wand, and pointing it directly at Severus.

"No!" Hermione flung herself in front of Severus and screamed at Remus, "No Remus! You don't understan..." Before she could finish her sentence, she watched in horror as a bright light shot out from Remus' wand.

Strangely however, the spell shot right pass them. As she turned to follow its course she was just in time to see the bright light hit a Death Eater right in the face. She didn't even notice, but apparently the Death Eater was approaching them from behind.

"How..." before she could ask the question Remus was next to them. He gave Hermione a pad on the shoulder, "You are right Hermione, I don't understand." He then turned to Severus and said, "I still don't understand Severus... You owe me an explanation. But I do have to thank you for casting that protective shield for me and Tonks earlier. And I must warn you, when you did that you blew your cover. I heard several Death Eaters looking for you for revenge."

Remus turned and began to move towards a group of students dueling three Death Eaters nearby. As he left he yelled back, "Be careful my friend!"

"What... How..." Hermione was utterly confused by the unexpected development.

"He should have thanked you." Severus' eyes twinkled when he looked back at Hermione. And she suddenly remembered her slip of tongue when Severus questioned her about Remus after their meeting with Lockhart.

She had no time to continue the conversation because they were quickly surrounded by several Death Eaters approaching from all directions. Hermione put the training that Severus gave her to good use. Together the two of them made a good team and held their ground.

It turned out Remus' warning was very timely. Severus soon realized the incoming Death Eaters were not just there to fight him, but there for more personal reasons. Dolohov made it perfectly clear when he joined in the fight.

"Snape! You treacherous thief! I, all along, should have been the Dark Lord's right-hand man! You stole it from me! You will pay! I will make you pay!"

But Dolohov spoke too soon. It was an understatement to say that Severus was accomplished in dueling. Dolohov was quickly getting frustrated as he realized he could not advance on Severus Snape. He even began to feel frightened when he saw the determined and cold glares in Snape's eyes.

Severus was indeed a master of concealment. No one would have guessed what was going through his mind from looking at his emotionless eyes. Behind his cool and controlled expressions, he was actually beginning to worry. He began to feel the affect of his earlier injury. Waves of dizziness was running through him and he could feel the strength in his body slowly draining away. He was desperately looking for a backup plan to retreat, not necessarily for himself, but for Hermione.

And then suddenly, a cold high voice joined the group and the Death Eaters all quickly stepped aside.

"Severus Snape! What a surprise!" Voldemort began to circle Severus and Hermione as he spoke, "I have to admit that I almost, _almost,_ felt sorry when I left you in the shack. And I almost questioned their report when they said you were playing for the other side. How dare you! How dare you deceive me! How dare you betray me!"

Severus kept his eyes locked on the Dark Lord but he said to Hermione in a very low, yet extremely stern voice, ""I will delay him! You must go and join the others!"

"No!" she hissed back. "I will fight with you Severus."

"Oh what is this?" Voldemort sneered as he observed the two. "When did you pick up a pretty helper Severus? Was she the one that deceived me? How dare you!"

"My Lord, this is the mudblood that stole my wand!" Bellatrix Lestrange chimed in from behind, laughing wickedly. "I knew it! I knew it Snape! You filthy mudblood lover! I never trusted you!" She spat.

"Silence!" Voldemort shouted, "in that case, I shall just take care of her first!"

Severus quickly stepped in front of Hermione. "It is me that deceived you. It is me that chose to fight against you. This has nothing to do with her. It is only between you and me." He raised his cool smooth voice at Voldemort.

"How touching." Voldemort said coldly, "Oh please, please do not tell me it is _LOVE_! How disgusting! Tell me Severus, did Dumbledore brainwash you? How could you, Severus Snape, give in to such weakness. Have you not learned from me!" Voldemort bellowed.

Severus pushed Hermione behind himself and raised his wand. If this was the end of him he would have no regret. He would have no regret fighting for his promise to Dumbledore, his promise to protect the students at Hogwarts; he would have no regret fighting to defend her, the one he had loved for so long.

"You shall be punished!" Voldemort raised his wand and fired a wave of powerful spells towards Severus. Severus cast the strongest protective shield he could muster. Voldemort's spells slammed into the shield and the strength of the curses knocked Severus off balance. He fell on one knee but still he refused to waver. He was determined to stand his ground.

"I need you to leave! Now!" He hissed at Hermione in his most intimidating voice as he prepared for the next attack. But she stubbornly stayed beside him, "No! Never!" was all she would say.

When he saw the second waves of bright lights flying out of Voldemort's wand Severus held his wand high and prepared for the worst.

Unexpectedly however, Voldemort's curses were diverted by an ensemble of blue lights. Severus blinked and looked up, and saw McGonagall, Slughorn, and Kingsley inserted themselves between him and Voldemort. Voldemort was furious by the intrusion and quickly turned his attention to the three.

Lupin and Tonks also joined in the fight. "Remus told them what you did," Tonks said to Severus in between firing spells and curses towards the Death Eaters, "we are here to help you Severus!" Together they stood side by side and began to advance on the other death eaters that were trying to surround them.

The tide turned as more families, friends, Hogsmeade residents, centaurs, and house elves showed up to join the fight against the dark lord. And finally, the Great Hall began to quiet down as the remaining Death Eaters were either defeated or captured one by one. All the attention turned to Harry, who suddenly appeared in front of them, alive and strong as ever, challenging Voldemort with absolute confidence.

"Severus Snape was Dumbledore's man. He was Dumbledore's since the day you threatened my mother..."

Severus stood in the back of the hall and listened. He wasn't sure if he captured every word that Harry said. But he felt his heart becoming lighter and lighter as Harry continued to explain the truth. While everyone else was watching intently at the duel, Severus closed his eyes and let out a relieved sigh. He knew the outcome already. He had expected this to happen. What he did not expect was to live to this day to bear witness.

With the final blow at the evil lord and the toppling of Voldemort, the crowd burst into cheers and everyone ran towards Harry. Without anyone noticing, Severus slipped out of the Great Hall and left for the grounds.

* * *

><p>He found his peace by the lake again. He could feel the andrenaline rush finally wearing off and he was overwhelmed by a wave of tiredness. He lowered himself against a pine tree and closed his eyes. The past few hours began to replay themselves inside his head.<p>

"Professor Snape!" someone's call suddenly interrupted his solitude.

Severus quickly looked up but saw no one. When he turned his head again he saw Harry Potter standing right next to him, pulling his invisibility cloak off of himself.

"Mr. Potter..." Severus raised an eyebrow and began coolly, "What are you doing here? Perhaps I should remind you, that the party for you is held inside the castle, not here."

"Professor," Harry sat down next to him. After considering his words carefully, Harry finally said, "To the contrary of your belief, Professor, I am not so fond of attention."

Severus let out a sigh, the corner of his lips gave in to a small curl. "To the contrary of your belief, Mr. Potter, I have never intended to kill you."

Harry let out a chuckle. Seeing Snape's memory in the pensieve gave him a completely different perspective of the man sitting next to him.

"I was looking for you... and I was thinking..." Harry hesitated but he went on anyway, "maybe... if you like... we can... uh... start all over again. I mean, there was a lot of misunderstanding between us in the past... and maybe... uh... we can get to know each other, and...maybe.. uh... be friends someday?"

Severus examined Harry with his deep dark eyes for a long moment. Harry's heart was pounding hard in his chest under such intimidating gaze. Finally Severus turned away from him and said, "That could be arranged. It will be of course under the condition that you can properly complete a sentence in front of me."

Harry smiled at his reply. After all, he wasn't expecting a friendly hug from Severus Snape.

They sat in silence for a few minutes and Harry suddenly asked, "So when are you going to tell her?"

"What are you talking about?" Severus looked at him cautiously.

"The memory you gave me... I saw her in it. I saw Hermione." Harry took a deep breath as if he was searching for courage to continue, "She is my best friend and I know her. She loves you, Professor. I would have told her how you felt about her if you..." He paused for a moment and said, "since you are here now, you can tell her yourself that you love her!"

Severus narrowed his eyes upon Harry, he stopped short of hissing "it's none of your business" at him. Instead he considered Harry's words carefully, but couldn't find the right retort to fire back. Finally he said,

"I'm not your teacher any more. If you want to start over, perhaps you can start by calling me Severus from now on." It would indeed be a little awkward to have Hermione's friends keep calling him "Professor" while him trying to start a relationship with her, Severus thought to himself.

Harry was surprised by Severus' reply. A wide grin quickly spread across his face. However, after noticing the absence of a reciprocate smile in Severus' face, Harry decided he would not push his luck too far in one day.

"Harry! What are you doing here?" Hermione's voice suddenly caught their attention by surprise.

"Oh... Right... I know... the party is inside. I will leave you two... Uh... I'll see you later Hermione, and... Severus." Harry hurried to his feet and quickly disappeared towards the castle.

"What happened? Why is he so fluttered? And since when have you two been on a first name basis?"

"That was three questions in a row Miss Granger." Severus answered in the sarcastic tone that they used to employ when talking to each other in that distant summer. "You should at least give me proper time to address them. For your first question, I shall never attempt to understand what your dunderhead friend is up to; for your second question, please consult my answer to the first one; and to the final question..." Severus smiled mischievously at Hermione, "my guess is that it happened about five minutes ago."

Hermione shook her head and smile back at him, "Harry is no longer just my friend. It sounds like he is now your friend too. And it is not polite to call your friend a dunderhead Severus." Before she finished her words she sat down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder.

The summer breeze gently brushed through the trees and caressed their faces. They were surrounded by the silence of the forest, just like those summer days they shared together years ago.

"So what's next?" She picked up a dandelion and gently blew on it, sending the seeds flying into the distance like hundreds of carefree fairies.

"Well," He considered the question briefly and answered, "I am prepared to answer a lot of questions. That will certainly take some time. I am sure the Ministry, the Order, and the aurors will all want their share of my time."

"I will be there with you when they talk to you."

"No." He answered quickly. Looking back at her surprised expression he went on and explained, "I'm not sure if they will all be so open-minded Hermione. It may not be as easy as you think to clear my name. After all, I was the one who killed Dumbledore and I was ranked quite high with Voldemort." He paused for a moment and said, "I don't want to drag you into a political mess, or something worse, if that is what this will turn into."

"I don't care. I will be there with you anyway Severus, no matter you like it or not." Hermione said casually, as if she was simply stating the facts, and she left no room for further argument. Severus had to admit, it was a bit frustrating when his intimidation tactic no longer worked on the very stubborn Miss Granger.

"After that, what will you do next?" Hermione looked into the distance and asked again, "Will you be coming back to teach at Hogwarts again? Be the Headmaster?"

"No." Severus replied. "The Headmaster's position should have been McGonagall's all along. And after all these years, I want to take a break from teaching."

He pickup up Hermione's hand and lace through her delicate fingers with his pale long ones, "do you remember the stories that you told me from your trips abroad when we had that summer together? I think that's what I'm going to do."

"Travel around the world?" Hermione asked, her eyes twinkled with excitement. "Do you mind if I tag along?" she asked hopefully.

Severus' smile broadened as he answered, "Of course I don't mind. I can't think of a better person to bicker with while touring the world."

"That's right... You need someone to keep you on your toes." Hermione broke into a wide grin. "Do you mind if we start with Australia?" She asked.

"Right." He nodded, "to find your parents."

"How do you know?" His answer caught her completely by surprise.

"I guessed it when you went on the horcrux hunt with Potter and Weasley last year. From what you told me long time ago, I guessed that was where you had sent them."

"Unbelievable. There is nothing you can't figure out, is there Severus?" She shook her head and smiled.

"I am flattered." He said teasingly, and then he continued, "you don't need to worry. They are doing fine."

"How do you know that?" Hermione's eyes widened.

"I still consider it the Order's negligence not to provide protection for your parents. For Merlin's sake, they even sent two bodies to guard the worthless Dursleys. But by the time I realized they had no plans to protect your parents, I was completely ousted from the Order. So I had to take care of it myself. I was able to connect with an old friend of Dumbledore's in Australia. It took quite a bit of convincing obviously, but he finally believed me. I asked him to keep an eye on your parents. He found them without much trouble and had a protective charm put on them since. He has been sending me secret messages providing updates. So that's how I know. They are doing fine."

"Severus," Hermione looked up at him and for a moment she was speechless. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she considered the risks he had taken while helping her parents. When she finally found her voice she asked, "Why did you do all these?"

He pulled her into his arms like he had wanted to do for so many years, "I never knew if I would see you again Hermione. And that was the least I can do for the one woman that I've loved so dearly for so many years."

Hermione looked up at him and found his deep dark eyes gazing gently back at her. "You... love me?" She suddenly felt a short of breath. She had to admit that her heart was struck by an unfamiliar pain and sadness when Harry retold Severus' love for Lily back in the Great Hall.

Severus didn't say a word. Instead he looked down and gently picked up her chin with his slender fingers. Slowly he leaned over and captured her lips with his own. There was always more than one way to answer a question.

Before his mind was completely lost in their deepening kiss, the one last thought occurred to Severus was that Australia would indeed be the perfect place to start their journey. After all, he was ready to ask the one question for which the answer can only be granted by her father.

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><p><strong>We are getting closer to the end of the story now. What do you think? I look forward to your reviews!<br>**

**I want to send you my most sincere gratitude for your reviews, your adding the story to your favorites and your following the story. That really meant a lot to me. Your comments make it even more enjoyable to turn the story in my head into words. Thanks you!  
><strong>


	9. Chapter 9

_**_**All characters belong to the brilliant JKR**_... **_

_**So the story continues...  
><strong>_

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><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

The white pelicans gliding above the distant water seemed to be the only evidence that the world in front of Hermione was not a masterpiece of oceanscape painting. She leaned back into the comfortable lounge chair and let the mild ocean breeze gently whisper through her hair. A couple of majestic palm trees nearby provided generous shades blocking the tropical sun. She took a deep breath and filled her senses with the refreshing island scent. Slowly she closed her eyes and let the memory of the past year washed through her mind.

Severus predicted exactly what others would want from him. Within days after the defeat of Voldemort, he was summoned to various meetings to address questions from all concerned parties. Keeping her words, and ignoring his protest, Hermione was always there by his side.

It turned out the Order was the most open-minded group of them all. Perhaps because of the group's history with Dumbledore, they quickly accepted all the facts presented in front of them. The rest of the Hogwarts teachers also welcomed the truth with open arms. McGonagall even suggested that Severus continue his tenure as the Headmaster, although he declined immediately. By the end of May Severus submitted his resignation. Despite Hermione's constant complaints, Severus refused to move in to her flat in London. Instead, he remained in Spinner's End while he was awaiting for all the meetings. She eventually appreciated the importance of the temporary concealment of their relationship from the public eyes and his thoughtful attempt to protect her reputation.

The auror's office was quite a bit more demanding than the Order. They not only wanted to meet with Severus many more times, but also made requests to meet with others to verify his claims. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, Lupin,and McGonagall were all included in their through investigation. It took considerably more time for the aurors to gain their satisfaction that Severus Snape had indeed been a double agent for Dumbledore for all these years. Finally one day Kingsley visited Severus. He delivered the news that the case was closed as far as the aurors' concerns.

Harry however was not at all pleased with the simple delivery. He insisted that the auror's office join him and request the honor that Severus deserved.

"Order of Merlin First Class is what they should give you for all that you've done for us Severus!" Harry raised his point again one day.

"While I appreciate your enthusiasm Harry, I am sorry to inform you that you will soon realize it is rather foolish to seek such attention." Severus replied coolly.

And Severus was right again. Attention was the last thing they wanted in the following months. The Order's questioning sessions and the auror office's cross examinations pale by comparison with the never-ending deliberations at the Ministry. Hermione was frustrated by the slow progress. She could not understand why it took so much time for the Ministry to accept the simple facts.

"That is a place where no one wants to take any responsibilities." Severus explained to her over dinner one night. "They need a scapegoat for all their incompetence. And unfortunately I seem to fit that description."

It soon became obvious to Hermione that the Ministry was not at all concerned about the facts, but was more interested in attacking Severus' credibility.

"How would you explain your motive in assisting Harry Potter, Mr. Snape?" for what seemed to be the hundredth time a Ministry official asked Severus, "You were in love with his mother, who married your rival who used to bully you at school. How would you argue that you were not waiting for the right time to take revenge on the boy? Or was it simply because the opportunity presented itself to you so you switched sides when you-know-who was weak?"

"If what you told us was true, and you were indeed the one that was treating Dumbledore for a rare curse he was suffering, how would you prove that your potion was saving him and not killing him slowly?" A Ministry staff asked after what appeared to be some thoughtful considerations one day.

"Did you or did you not successfully manipulate the Ministry's decisions during the rise of you-know-who?" came a question from a senior official.

"We have received information that you have attempted to gain high level Order of Merlin recognition on more than one occasion in the past few years. Does your true motivation lie behind having such personal gain by assisting the Order of Phoenix when it was convenient to you?" Someone fired the question one day.

"Please address your relationship with Miss Granger. It has been noted that she has been accompanying you to most of our recent meetings. Have you made any arrangements with her so that she can help strengthen or repair your credibility? Would you please elaborate on the details of your arrangements?" Another official was quite pleased with his observation during a hearing.

While Hermione, and sometimes Harry and Ron when they were present at the meetings, became furious by the veiled attacks and accusations, Severus maintained his cool. Never once did he raised his voice or even attempt to argue. He patiently repeated the facts again and again. He broke down details of past events to address each of their questions from various angles, but was always careful enough to never leave a loophole open for them to twist the facts.

When they brought up the "arrangements" he had with Hermione however, he stopped momentarily and appeared to have a need to gather his thoughts. Hermione was on the edge of her seat and was wondering if he was going to explain her whole time traveling ordeal. That would indeed opened up another can of worms. She could just imagine them going after the curse, the spell, and whatever she could have possibly revealed in the past... As far as she could tell, there would be no end to the investigation if they started down that path.

Severus examined his audience before speaking in his coolest voice, "I do not see the relevance of your question." he began, "We have the talented Miss Rita Skeeter here with her Quick-Quote Quill. No matter what my answer is, I can guarantee you that it will be far less interesting compared to what you will read in her upcoming new book about me, which I would most definitely appreciate it if you do NOT send me a copy." He nodded at the witch, who was quickly turning scarlet in her face.

"Whatever arrangements I have with Miss Granger have been, and will remain our own business. She might have decided to be here to render her friendly support, or she might have been threatened by me to come along to these exhausting meetings so that she could observe how to conduct business in the Ministry. However our arrangements may be, they happened after the war, and therefore will not explain anything that is under your investigation."

He gave the room a cold glance before continuing, "I believe I have provided all the answers that are relevant to your questions. In order to maintain the Ministry's reputation of its ability to solve problems effectively and efficiently, may I suggest that you stay focus with your inquiries? Or am I mistaken that effectiveness and efficiency is not at all the Ministry's style in conducting its business? If that is the case, please accept my most sincere apology."

Hermione smiled as she remembered the look on the Ministry officials' faces. It was indeed the best closing statement she could have ever imagined.

Her stream of thought was interrupted when she felt his slender fingers gently brush through her hair. She opened her eyes and found Severus looking curiously back at her. He leaned down and kissed her forehead before settling down in the lounge chair next to hers.

"What are you thinking? What made you so happy?" He asked casually.

She watched him relaxed in his island attire. He was wearing a pair of khaki beach pants, with an unbuttoned light sage linen shirt draping over his shoulders. A thought suddenly hit Hermione and she asked, "You really don't know what I'm thinking?"

"What a strange question that is!" He laughed, "Why would I ask you if I already knew?"

"That's exactly my question!" She was becoming quite excited as she sat up straight in her seat. "I have been wondering for a very long time... Have you ever considered penetrating my mind with legilimency?"

The smile on Severus face slowly faded and he became a bit more serious. However, his was still looking at her in the same gentle way, and there was something more in his gaze that warmed her heart. "I admit that I did consider it once." He answered, "It was over fifteen years ago, when you first appeared in my life, badly wounded." He took a deep breath and continued, "I only considered it because you were staring at me as if I was a ghost."

He stopped for a moment and she waited quietly for him to continue. "Other that that one incident, no, I never considered it again."

"But why not?" she pressed on.

It took him a minute to consider his answers. What he told her next was not so much an answer, but rather, a pledge. "Legilimency is a weapon, and should never be used lightly. Believe of not, I have always trusted you, even from the very beginning. I have to admit it was quite risky that I trusted you that soon, given that there are so few people that I have ever trusted in this world. I will never use that magic on you, Hermione, because I believe that you also trust me and you will tell me what you want me to know. What you want me to know is all that I will need to know. I will never do anything to damage the trust you have in me."

He frowned as he observed her reaction. He reached over and brushed away a stray tear on her face and said, "I didn't mean to make you cry! Did I not answer your question?"

"Oh you answered it." She smiled at him, "You answered it perfectly well."

She ran her fingers down his shoulder and stopped at an old scare on his upper right arm. She began tracing it carefully.

"You may remember this one..." He smiled, "A generous present from that werewolf friend of ours."

"Remus?" she looked at him surprisingly.

"It could have been a lot worse I suppose. I guess it was foolish of me to stand in front of him under the full moon." He said, "But I really didn't have many other choices. I had no other places to hide you and those two dunderhead friends of yours the night when he and Black captured, or shall we say _almost_ captured, Pettigrew." He thought for a moment and continued, "I hope you won't blame me for telling on his secrets and making him leave at the end of that school year. I was getting tired of having to watch over him every month, just to make sure that he would remember to drink the damn potion. I could not stand the thought of having a werewolf roaming the castle when you were around."

"Was that also why you assigned the essay on werewolves?" She smiled at him.

"Of course! And I knew for a fact that you would be the only one that would actually do the research and find out his secrets." He sighed, "I just couldn't believe that you were still so trusting around him after you figured it all out."

"You know he meant no harm..."

"Yes I do... but still." he reached over and kissed her on her lips, "when it comes to you I can be rather protective."

"Oh really?" She smiled and a mischievous thought occurred to her. "Did you ever get jealous of Harry or Ron? We did spend an awful lot of time together."

"Those two?" Severus chuckled, "Never."

He smiled at Hermione's surprised expression and said, "Don't you remember what you told me a long time ago? You said they were like brothers to you. Why on earth would you think I would be jealous of them if that's how you think of them? Now that Viktor Krum however..."

He raised his eyebrow and looked at her teasingly, "was a different story. I had to admit that I was very tempted to... how should I put it... do certain things that would ensure his stay at Hogwarts unpleasantly memorable."

"I can't believe it!" She laughed at his unexpected confession. "So tell me Severus," she went on, "When did you first notice me when I came to Hogwarts as a student."

"That was easy. I noticed you as soon as you stepped into the Great Hall. That hair of yours was hard to miss." A smirk was visible in his face.

"Was it that bad?" she frowned.

"That was not it, although I have to admit it was quite interesting to see a little girl with such bushy hair." He ignored the offended expression in her face and went on, "It was just that I had been expecting to see you that year. So I was looking for you among the new students."

Hermione looked at Severus suspiciously, not completely convinced. "Did you really think my front teeth were too big?" she narrowed her eyes upon him and asked.

"I think you rather overreacted." He couldn't help it but the corners of his lips curled up again. He was really beginning to enjoy this conversation. "I was expecting you to have a better sense of humor."

Hermione jumped off of her chair and began to slap Severus on his shoulders. "A sense of humor?" She tried to hide her laugh and screamed at him, "Severus Snape! Don't you ever dare telling me what a sense of humor is!"

She soon found herself wrapped tightly in his strong arms. She giggled as he planted little kisses all over her face, down her neck, and along her shoulders above her strapless sundress. "Yet again," he began in his cool smooth voice, "the brave Gryffindor has fallen into the cunning Slytherin's clever trap. If I didn't say what I said, how am I going to make you willingly jump into my arms with such enthusiasm?"

As she finally caught her breaths between her giggles she sighed and smiled at Severus, "Can we just stay in for the rest of the day? I don't think I want to go anywhere."

"That should not be difficult to accomplish, given that it is already past midday." He smiled back at her.

"Good. I just want to stay here and get to know you better. I feel like I missed many years when I could have been with you all along." She sat comfortably in his lap and rested her head on his chest.

"You are indeed a bookworm." She suddenly heard him say.

She frowned and stared back at him, "Why do you say that?"

"You have to do everything by the book don't you?" He tried to keep a straight face, "Isn't _getting to know each other_ the old fashion definition for _honeymoon_?"

Before she could think of a retort, he got up on his feet and began to carry her towards the seaside cottage behind them.

"What are you doing Severus?" She squealed, completely surprised by his sudden movement.

"I don't know if you looked into my old potions book that Potter borrowed without permission." he said as he held her tight in his arms and made his way towards the cottage, "But I do have a habit of making things better by not playing by the book. And I would like to try and see if the same theory applies to honeymoon activities..."

The laughter from the seaside cottage was soon submerged by the sighing wind. In the distance, elegant white waves caressed the beach with their magical kisses. When the ocean tides finally retrieved, no trace was left on the sandy shore. All was clean, all was calm, and all, was forgiven.

.

.

.

**The End**

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><p><strong><em>Please don't hate me for ending it here... not yet anyway... I am working on an epilogue (by Rita Skeeter) and I hope you will like it.<br>_**

**_Thank you all for following and reading the story. I had considered making it longer but eventually decided against it. However**_, _**I agree that I have omitted many missing scenes (or rather, missing years) that could potentially expand the story. _**

**_I am not sure what I would do about that. My two options seem to be either 1) rework this story and somehow incorporate those missing scenes; or 2) have some sort of sequel and expand on those ideas. And of course, I can also just stop the story here and leave it with your own imagination, which I have to admit is quite tempting at this moment. I am very interested in knowing what you think about these options._**


	10. Chapter 10

_**_**_**_**All characters belong to the brilliant JKR**_. I am only borrowing their presence.**_**_**_

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><p><strong>Epilogue<strong>

_Latest Victim Claimed by Severus Snape and His Web of Lies  
><em>

_By Rita Skeeter_

_For those who have been so convinced that Severus Snape was the unsung hero that helped Harry Potter save the world, the following Daily Prophet's exclusive bombshell discovery may come as a complete surprise._

_It seemed only months ago when Snape successfully wiggled himself out of the investigation conducted by the Ministry of Magic. In the process of doing so, he had portrayed himself as a faithful admirer of Lily Potter, the late mother of Mr. Harry Potter, and a brave protector of the young man during his quest to defeat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. His skillful choice of words obviously hoodwinked many, including his recently acquired new bride, the heroine of the Golden Trio. __All of his claims however, quickly began to crumble as a recent discovery of his decade-long secret affair with a mysterious witch._

_According to thorough investigations and countless interviews with individuals close to the source, the Daily Prophet reporter obtained evidence of a scandalous affair that Snape had _tried _desperately to hide. The __mysterious witch involved in the secret affair made her first appearance at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the summer of 1983. She claimed to be a traveling scholar from the Durmstrang Institute by the name of Helena Garness. This claim was quickly proven to be false as the Daily Prophet's foreign correspondent obtained a statement from the Durmstrang Institute denying any traveling scholar bearing such name. Furthermore, there was no records of a Helena Garness ever employed or studied at the prestigious foreign wizarding school. _

_In addition to the true identity behind the alias "Helena Garness", more questions soon began to mount regarding the original purpose of the witch's visit to Hogwarts. It was extremely intriguing to note the particular timing that she had chosen for her visit. One would certainly not plan a visit to a school for academic purposes during the summer months, when students and most of the professors were away for holiday._

_According to eyewitnesses, Garness was a witty witch whose beauty put veela to shame. She was said to be a fierce dragon slayer, a skilled werewolf hunter, and a witch possessing extraordinary knowledge in potions. It was therefore not difficult to imagine how quickly the young Severus Snape was swept head over heels by her charm. _According to eyewitnesses, _within days of her arrival, Garness moved into Snape's private quarter and spent most of her time with him alone behind public eyes. _

_Other than spending passionate hours behind the curtains in Snape's bedchamber, the two also held lengthy meetings in Snape's office. As a measure to protect the subject of their discussions, no one was ever allowed to be close to Snape's office during this time. Fortunately, Daily Prophet was able to connect with a source close to Hogwarts and obtain certain details of their meetings. It was reported that large quantity of various portion ingredients was present in Snape's office at the time. It was clear that the two were involved in certain advanced potion making research. __Was this mysterious witch simply a foreign socialite looking for some summer excitement? Or did she have some much darker secrets to hide? Given the subject of their research and Snape's passion in dark magic, it is only reasonable to conclude that the two were working on a secret project, possibly a weapon, involving powerful, and possibly even, extremely dark magic. The much bigger question remained however: was the weapon to be developed for the Order of the Phoenix, for _He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named_, or rather, for another foreign organization with a completely different agenda?_

_The secrecy of Helena Garness was further mystified when both the German Ministry Of Magic and its counterpart in France refused to confirm or deny their agents' involvement with the ex-Death Eater and former headmaster of Hogwarts. Garness herself was proven to be an experienced spy who never left any trace of evidence that would linked her to her superiors. Her accomplishment in this secret project and her successful establishment of a strong tie with Snape had no doubt helped her moving up the ranks within the intelligent community for which she served. _

_Garness' presence at Hogwarts was eventually discovered by Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster at the time. After a heated argument, possibly caused by Dumbledore's confrontation of the two's secret research, Garness was soon dismissed._

_The short-lived summer romance certainly did not hinder the continuing development of the secret affair. According to sources close to Snape's inner circle, Snape had been madly in love with the witch throughout the years and continued correspondence with her. In return, Garness had also revisited Snape in subsequent years. Although infrequent in occurrence, their meetings had always taken place in the middle of the night, mostly in Snape's private quarter at Hogwarts. The witch's visits became noticeably more frequent during Snape's tenure as the headmaster. Was she there to renew her passion with an old flame? Was she there to deliver instructions on be half of her _superiors_? Or was she there to help Snape planning for his exit strategy subsequent to the war? These questions may only be answered by the two people in the room. Unfortunately neither could __be reached for comments._

_It was most unfortunate for the latest victim caught by Severus Snape's web of lies. Hermione Granger, the young, naive, and inexperienced witch finally paid a dear price for her _arrogance_ and overconfidence. It would certainly be a hard lesson to learn when she discovered the darkest secrets that her new husband had been keeping since long before her coming of age. _

_Currently it is unclear where Snape has taken his new bride. Although according to Daily Prophet's sources, Snape had long ago made arrangements to leave the country as soon as he could escape the Ministry's investigation. Why was he in such a hurry to leave the country? Was he trying to reconnect with Garness? Is his new employer one of the foreign agencies that he had been maintaining contact for all these years? What will he do next to control and manipulate his young wife? These are the questions mostly concern Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley, both of whom had tried _for years_ but failed miserably in gaining the affection of Hermione Granger. Other than stating bitterly that neither of them had information about the couple's whereabouts, both young men declined an interview with the Daily Prophet for understandable reasons._

_Although the recent uncovered scandal involving Severus Snape may sound unexpected, it is not at all surprising if you have read the Daily Prophet Best Seller "Snape: Scoundrel or Saint". After all, when it comes to Severus Snape, trust may be the last thing you can place in him._

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><p>"What a load of rubbish!" Severus grumbled as he threw the paper on to the floor, "I can't believe I let you talk me into reading this!"<p>

"I thought it's rather entertaining." Hermione smiled as she walked next to Severus and settled herself in his lap.

"You call that entertaining?" he growled, "Which part? The part where she called you a dragon slayer and a werewolf hunter?"

"Oh it's not me she was talking about... Remember, I'm the inexperienced and naive girl that is finally paying for her arrogance and overconfidence!" She laughed as she began to trace his eyebrows and make little circles around his temples with her fingers.

"Mmmm..." a smile spread across Severus' face as he slowly closed his eyes, "well, at least she got one thing right."

"Oh really? What may that be?"

"It is a fact that Severus Snape has been madly in love with the mysterious witch all these years."

Hermione kissed him quickly and asked, "is that it? That's the only fact you saw?"

"What else can you expect from this woman?" Severus opened his eyes unwillingly.

"Well not much. But she did also get one other thing right." Hermione smiled mischievously.

Severus raised an eyebrow and searched his memory momentarily. "What else was true? Are you telling me you are a foreign spy in disguise?"

"Oh dear no." Hermione laughed, "One spy, an ex-spy I may add, in the family is more than enough. I'm talking about those late-night visits in your private quarter throughout the years..."

Severus' eyes widened upon hearing her words. He quickly narrowed his eyes on her, "Are you saying... those were... not... dreams?"

Hermione did not answer, instead she leaned over her husband and covered his lips with her own. She deepened her kiss while running her fingers through his soft dark hair, and slowly slid her other hand down his shoulder to his chest.

When she finally broke the kiss she whispered in his ear, "Is this a dream my love?"

Severus' mind had long been lost in her delicious kiss. There was only one thing that occupied his mind, and it was most certainly not a question. As far as her peculiar statement, he would just have to find the answers later, maybe tomorrow, or well, some other time...

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you so much for all of your suggestions and encouragement. Yes indeed, I did a "sequel", or rather, a companion story of this piece. It's called The Interlude. I welcome your comments.<strong>

**XOXO,**

**Christina**


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